You Saved Me
by Lovely Helena
Summary: What if Violet had met Tate when she was a little girl? Could this change both of their doomed futures? AU Violate Story.
1. Meet Tate

_**This story will eventually be M rated, but they are only little kids right now. Give it a few chapters... HaHa I love you all! I hope you enjoy my new story! :)**_

It was June 5th, 1983.

It was unusually hot in Los Angeles, California this month. Every house on Westerchester Place had every window open in the hopes of having a strong breeze run through the house. Air conditioning units were not made to withstand this amount of heat. The men in the homes would walk around without shirts on, and many of the women would have on shorts and midriff shirts. If one looked into any window, they would find the adults constantly fanning themselves. The children would most likely be outside playing with the watering hose or large buckets of water. Everything about the street and the houses was completely normal, or so it seemed from the outside view.

The Langdon family was one of the well known families on Westchester Place. They were well known because they lived in the murder house. The house was given this name when the first owners met their untimely deaths. There were many rumors that went around about the ghosts haunting the house.

Constance Langdon was the lady of the house, and she did not believe a word of the rumors. Her house was beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with it. Constance was a clever and charismatic woman. To others, she was a doting mother and wife. She seemed to have only love in her heart. Only the inhabitants of the Murder House knew the truth about Constance.

"Tate! Get your ungrateful ass down here this instant and help me with your brother and sister!" Constance called up the stairs at her youngest son.

She walked back into the dining room and tried to get all of her children to sit down at the table. Her oldest daughter Addie only needed to be told a few times to sit down before she did what her mother wanted. Addie had Down's syndrome, but she was very smart and obedient to her mother's wishes. Beau was the middle child and the biggest handful. There were many things about Beau that made him difficult to manage, but he had the biggest heart out of anyone in the Langdon family. Constance had to tie Beau into a special chair for him to be able to sit at the table. Tate and Lilly were the youngest children in the family, at age 6. They were identical twins, but had polar opposite personalities. Lilly was outgoing and wild. Tate was shy and kept to himself. Constance was very proud about her twins and would brag about them to anyone that would listen. They were her perfect babies.

Tate came walking into the dining room with a scowl on his little face. Constance would swear that the scowl had become a permanent feature on her son's face. The young boy was definitely a sight. He had insisted on dressing himself that morning. He had gone through all of his clothes until he found a pair of black shorts, a black t-shirt, and black socks. He had light blonde hair that was styled into a messy bowl cut. Constance had been begging Tate for weeks to let her cut his hair, but he would run away whenever she came never him with the scissors.

"Oh there you are, Tate. Help your sister set the table." Constance handed Tate a set of silverware before walking to the kitchen. "God damn that whore and my pitiful excuse for a husband. How am I supposed to cook and take care of four children on my own?" She grumbled under her breath. When she walked back into the dining room with the last dish of food, she counted how many places where set at the table. There were six places total.

"Oh no. Take one of those settings away. There will only be five of us tonight." Constance moved to sit at her place at the table. She met Tate's confused eyes.

"What about daddy?"

"Eat your supper, Tate. It is going to get cold." Constance said in the hopes to avoid her son's question.

Tate slammed his fist down on the table, making the other children jump. "No! Where is daddy?"

Constance straightened her back and glared at her son. "Do not speak to me in such a tone. I am your mother. You do as I say." Tate scowled at his mother and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine! If you are not going to eat, you will go to bed hungry." Constance stood up from her chair and grabbed Tate roughly by the arm. She dragged him up the stairs and flung him into his bedroom, locking the door from the outside.

"I hate you!" Tate screamed from the other side of the door.

Constance rested her hands on the door and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before she went back into the dining room.

…

Tate had been sitting on the floor of his bedroom for over an hour, staying completely still. This was something that he had been doing a lot recently. He would sit on his floor and listen to the voices and sounds that paraded around his room. Some of the voices were nice and loving, like Nora's. Nora saved Tate a few days ago from the monster in the basement. Now that Tate knew who she was, she would come visit him in his room every day. He told her every time that she was holding him in her arms that she was his real mommy. Nora would just smile with tear filled eyes and tell Tate that she loved him.

Not all of the voices were nice like Nora's. Some of them were mean and would whisper awful things into Tate's ears. They would tell him to do horrible things to his mother and siblings. When the voices became too much and began to scare him, he would close his eyes and whisper "Go away". Those words kept the voices away for a little while, but they always returned.

The voices were being nice to Tate today because Nora was in the room with him. She was sitting next to him, being completely still. They both were just enjoying the other's presence. Tate was the first to move when he heard the sound of a large truck rolling down the street. That was a rare occurrence in this quiet neighborhood. He ran to the window to see what was happening, and Nora followed right behind him.

"What's going on, Momma?" Tate had started calling Nora "momma" whenever he was around her. She did not correct the boy because she loved having someone refer to her as a mother. That had always been her dream.

Nora placed her hand on Tate's shoulder. "It looks like there is a new family moving in across the street." Tate's eyes were quickly scanning over the scene in front of him. There was a man and woman that were unloading boxes from the large truck. Tate could also see some furniture sitting on the front lawn.

"Look there, sweet child." Nora whispered to Tate, and his eyes followed where her finger was pointing. He was looking at a small girl. She was tiny. She had long blonde hair that was tied back into pigtails. She had on a floral dress and sock. No shoes. She was sitting on the sidewalk, watching her parents unload the truck.

"Isn't she a beautiful girl?" Nora spoke quietly.

"Yea…" Tate's voice sounded as if he was in a dream. He could not stop staring at the girl. He instantly felt drawn to her. He wanted to run outside and talk to her. He was lost in thought when her eyes locked on to his. He gasped and quickly ducked under the window.

Nora stood there laughing at the boy. "You like that girl. I can tell. Maybe you can finally make a real friend and spend time away from this dark house. Wouldn't that be nice, Tate?" She crouched down in front of him and scooped him up in her arms.

Tate smiled at the woman, having never felt more loved than he did by Nora. "It would be fun to have another friend." Nora smiled at Tate and kissed him on the nose.

"How about I go downstairs and steal you some food?"

Tate nodded his head. When Nora left the room, Tate ran back to his window. He frowned when he saw that the girl was no longer on the sidewalk. He walked over to his bed and climbed into it. He could feel the voices starting to enter the room, and he closed his eyes tightly.

"Go away."

_**Awe, isn't little Tate the cutest thing in the world? He will get to meet miss Violet in the next chapter. Prepare for cuteness overload!**_


	2. Meet Violet

**1983**

"Violet, sweetheart. Come downstairs and meet our neighbors!" Ben called up the stairs to his daughter. He turned and walked into the living room, smiling at the occupants.

"It is so nice to meet you, Constance." Ben sat opposite the woman.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine. You have such a beautiful family, Dr. Harmon." Constance smiled brightly as she admired a family portrait sitting on the side table.

"Thank you. I was certainly blessed. And please, call me Ben."

Ben turned when he heard the sound of heels walking into the room. "Oh, this is my wife Vivien. Vivien, this is our neighbor Constance." The two women smiled at each other and exchanged hellos.

Constance turned her head when she heard her son make a noise in his throat. "Oh yes, this is my son Tate. He is my pride and joy, just like his twin sister." Constance wrapped her arm around Tate, and the small boy shrugged it off, scowling at his mother. He was not happy about being paraded around to the new neighbors.

"He is absolutely precious." Vivien smiled at the small, blonde boy. "I have always wanted a son, but it just is not in the cards for us right now. How many children do you have?"

"I have Tate and his twin sister, Lilly. They are my angels. I also have a daughter Addie and a son Beau. You will not see them much. They stay in the house most of the time."

"And your husband?"

"Oh… Well he is no longer with us." Constance said in a sad tone.

"I am so sorry!" Vivien said apologetically.

Vivien turned her head when she saw a small figure out of the corner of her eye. "There you are, honey. Come say hello. Constance, Tate, this is our daughter Violet."

Violet smirked at the strangers. She kept her eyes on the young boy.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing in the world?" Constance cooed at Violet.

"Not really." Violet snipped, still staring at Tate.

Ben laughed. "Our Violet, so mature for her age."

Constance smiled politely. Tate stared at the girl standing by the door. Their eyes had been connected for a few moments before she turned around and walked away.

"Tate, darling, why don't you go play with sweet Violet while us adults get to know each other better?"

Tate did not have to be asked twice. He jumped up from the seat and followed the path that Violet took to the backyard. He found her sitting on a swing. He went and sat down beside her, staring at his feet.

"Why did you move here?" He asked quietly, too nervous to look at her.

"My mommy and dad fight all of the time. They said that if we moved here, everything would get better."

"Has it?"

"No. I hate it here."

Tate finally looked at the small girl. She was only a year younger than him, but she was so much smaller than him. "Me too."

The two sat in silence for a while. Violet lifted her eyes to look at Tate, and he looked at her. She smiled at him before pushing her small hand against his shoulder. "Tag! You're it!"

Violet took off running across the backyard. Tate jumped off the swing and chased after her. He could almost reach her when she ran along the side of the Harmon's pool. He reached out his arm to tag her, and before his hand could hit hers, Violet slipped and fell into the water.

She was flailing and splashing in the water. She tried to scream, but the chlorine filled water filled her mouth and burned her eyes. She could feel herself going under the water and sinking to the bottom. The next thing she knew, she felt something grab her hand and pull her up and over to the shallow end of the pool. She was pulled onto the stairs. She coughed up the water that she had swallowed.

Tate watched the little girl start to take normal breaths of air again. He sat down on the stairs, trying to catch his own breath. When Violet was finally coherent, she looked at him.

"You saved me."

Tate opened his mouth to say something when a scream came from the other end of the yard.

"Violet! Tate! Are you two okay? What happened?" Vivien came running across the yard and pulled the two small children into her arms. Violet turned her head into Vivien's shoulder. Vivien picked up her small daughter in one arm and took Tate's hand with her other, leading the children back into the house. "Let's get you both into some dry clothes."

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Today was Violet's first day of school. She started kindergarten at Westfield Elementary school. She already hated her too bubbly teacher and every kid in her class. Everyone seemed so fake, and no one wanted to talk to Violet. She stood out in the class because she insisted on wearing a long sleeved shirt, floral dress, purple tights, and a black hat to school.

It was in the middle of the school day, lunch time, when she encountered Tate in the hallway. She had been walking to the bathroom when she heard a scream coming from around the corner. She found Tate being stuffed into a trash can by two older boys.

"Stop it!" She called and ran over to them. The two boys turned around and glared down at her.

"This is none of your business little girl." One of them sneered at her, and the other laughed and nodded his head.

"Leave him alone." Violet's voice was full of confidence.

"Or what? Your little boyfriend is a freak and deserves to be taken out with the rest of the trash."

Violet gasped and walked up to one of the boys. She kicked her small foot into the boy's calf, causing him to fall over yelling in pain.

"You little bitch!" The other one lunged at her, and Violet's finger poked him in the eye, causing him to join the other boy on the floor.

Violet ran over to the trash can and helped Tate climb out of it.

Tate stared at the small girl in amazement. "You saved me."

Violet smiled. "We're even. Let's go back to the lunch room." She took Tate's hand in hers and led him away from the two bullies.

_**Awe, little Violet is already becoming a strong girl, like she is in the show! Has anyone noticed the theme of the story yet? The next chapter will be set in 1987 when Tate is 10, and Violet is 9.**_


	3. Cut

_**1987 – 10/9 Years Old**_

_**This is a short update. There is only so much I can write when they are little kids, but the chapters will get longer the older they get. This chapter starts to mold the story more by introducing Violet into some of Tate's darkness. Let's go! Oh, side note: Nora is very AU in this story. FYI **_

"Mom!" Violet yelled while running down the stairs. "Mom!" She reached for the door handle.

"Where do you think you're going?" Vivien walked up behind her daughter.

"I'm going to Tate's house!" Violet turned the door knob and opened the door.

"Wait! Don't you think you spend a lot of time at his house? Maybe you should try and make some new friends."

Violet turned to look at her mother and rolled her eyes. "I only like Tate. Everyone else is stupid." For a nine year old, she was very mature and opinionated.

"Oh Violet, you don't know that. You are too absorbed with that boy. You can only spend one hour over there. Understand?"

"Fine." Violet turned and walked out of the house before running across the street and up to Tate's front door. She knocked on the door a few times, and no one opened it. She huffed out a breath of air and looked around. She noticed that Constance's car was not in the drive way. _He has to be here. He told me he would be._ Violet stood by the door for a minute before deciding to try the back door.

Her small hand wrapped around the door knob of the back door. She smiled when it twisted and opened. The house seemed scary when it was empty and quiet. Violet quickly moved through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into Tate's bedroom. Her brows knitted in confusion when she found that the bedroom was empty. _Where is he?_

Violet turned toward the hallway when she heard a noise coming from the bathroom across the hall. She slowly walked up to the door, pressing her ear to it. She heard the same noise again. It sounded like someone crying. Without thinking, she opened the door and gasped at what she saw.

"Tate, what are you doing?" Violet looked at the boy sitting on the floor. He had a razor in one hand, and the other hand was covered in blood. Violet ran up to him and wrapped her small hand around his wrist, trying to cover the wound. Tate hissed when she touched him and tried to pull away, but her grip was too tight. He let out a sob.

"She killed him, Violet!" Tate cried.

Violet stared at him, worried. "Tate, we should call 911! Or get you a band aid or something." Violet looked down at her hands, covered in Tate's blood. She reached over with one hand and turned on the faucet in the bathtub. She placed her hands and Tate's wrist under the water, hoping that she could wash away all of the blood. Tate continued to cry while Violet was messing with his wrist. She dried it off and pressed the towel to it tightly. The blood had seemed to stop flowing.

Violet held the towel with one hand and squeezed Tate's knee with the other. "Tell me what happened."

Tate sniffled. "My mom… She killed my dad."

Violet gasped. "How do you know that?"

"I heard her talking to herself. She was out in the garden, and she said something about killing my dad. I thought that he left, but he didn't." Tate felt a few tears fall down his cheeks.

Violet squeezed Tate's knee again. "I'm sorry, Tate."

"I got in a fight with her about it. She called me a psychopath and then left with my sisters."

"Is that why you hurt yourself?"

Tate shook his head. "If I tell you something do you promise not to freak out?"

Violet nodded her head. Tate took a deep breath. "There is something wrong with this house. There are ghosts and voices that haunt it. When I get upset, the voices tell me to do things. This time, I listened."

Violet stared at Tate for a moment. "Voices told you to hurt yourself?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! Please, Violet. You have to believe me."

"I believe you, Tate. You are my best friend."

Tate smiled at Violet. Violet smiled back before looking down at the towel covering Tate's wrist. She slowly removed it so that she could look at his wound. There were two jagged cuts on his wrist, but they were not deep. He had stopped bleeding.

"I think you're going to live, Tate." Violet said after she inspected his wrist.

Tate's hand moved to Violet's cheek. "You saved me, Violet."

Violet smiled at Tate.

"I want you to meet someone." Tate spoke bluntly.

"Okay?"

Tate stood up and walked to the bathroom door. "Come on!" He motioned to Violet. She stood up and followed him out into the hallway.

A woman in a long white dress and white gloves appeared at the end of the hallway. She ran up to Tate and wrapped him in her arms. "Oh my love, I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Let me see you arm." She thoroughly inspected his arm. "Don't you ever tell me to go away, again. Do you understand me?" He voice was stern but full of love. Tate nodded his head.

She turned her attention to Violet. "Sweet child, thank you for taking care of my boy." She smiled at Violet.

Violet stood there, staring with no reply. Tate moved towards her. "Violet, this is Nora. She is my momma."

"I… I thought that Constance was your mom?" Violet questioned.

Nora laughed. "Oh child, I'm not his real mother. No… I am just the person that cares for him and loves him more than life. I'm a ghost."

Violet's eyes grew wide. "A… A… ghost?" Her voice wavered.

"I told you, Vi. There are ghosts here. Nora is a good one. Don't be scared." Tate took her hand in his and squeezed.

"Do I look scary to you, child?" Nora asked in a sweet voice.

Violet shook her head. "No… I like your dress."

Nora smiled. "Why thank you! It was all the fashion in the 20s." She turned her attention back to Tate. "Now Tate, I think we all have had enough excitement for one day. Why don't you walk Violet home before it gets dark outside? And come straight home afterwards. I need to clean you up before your mother returns."

Tate nodded his head and pulled Violet down the hallway with him. He held her hand until they were standing in front of her door. "Are you scared now?" He asked nervously.

"No…" Violet shook her head. "I like Nora. She is nice and pretty."

"Yea, she is the best." Tate smiled. He leaned forward and quickly kissed Violet on the cheek. Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks flushed pink. "You're my best friend, Violet."

Violet smiled at Tate before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Forever." She whispered before giggling and opening her door. She waved goodbye to him before shutting the door.

_**Woo, it is difficult to write in the mindset of a child. I hope I did it justice. Next chapter, we are jumping 4 years in the future to 1991 (the year I was born, haha). Tate will be 14, and Violet will be 13. It is going to be a crazy chapter, and the one after it will be even better. I have high hopes for this story! **_


	4. First Spook

_**So here is a little peek into the inner workings of my mind. Tate and Violet are 14/13 in this chapter. I am making them seem somewhat more mature than most teenagers at these ages because they seem more mature in the show. Violet is also going to have a more emotional reaction to the things that happen in this chapter because girls at this age are more in tune with their emotions than boys. Tate is just a 14 year old that wants to have some fun with his best friend. **_

_**Okay, that about sums how this chapter was composed. I hope you enjoy it! **_

**1991 – 14/13**

Tate watched Violet change slowly over the years as they grew up together. At first it was her fashion style. She began to wear clothes that covered up all of her skin. Long dresses, leggings, long sleeved shirts, and sweaters became her go-to articles of clothing. The next thing to change was her attitude. She became more witty, sarcastic, and distant to everyone around her, except for Tate. Tate was the only person that she was honest with, or so he thought.

Tate and Violet were sitting on the floor of his bedroom, listening to music and playing a card game. They were sitting close enough that their knees were almost touching but far away enough to have a stack of cards sitting between them.

"Are you cheating?" Violet asked Tate, looking at the number of cards in his hand.

"What?" Tate took a card in his other hand and held it behind his back. "Why would you ask that?"

"Cheater!" Violet playfully yelled and lunged forward, trying to grab the card out of Tate's hand. Tate lifted his arm up in the air, too high for Violet to reach. Violet reached upwards towards the card, causing her long sleeve to fall down towards her elbow. Her arm was right in front of Tate's eyes, and a few red lines caught his eye. Tate dropped his cards and grabbed her arm. Violet gasped and tried to pull away from him, but Tate had a strong grip on her.

"Vi… Is this what I think it is?" Tate whispered while holding her arm close to his face. She could feel his breath on her arm, making her shiver.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers to." Violet said in a serious voice.

Tate looked up from her arm and stared into her light brown eyes. His eyes were filled with worry. "Why?"

Violet lowered her eyes away from his gaze. "Shit happens."

"Don't do that, Violet. Don't act like a bitch." Tate's words made Violet look up at him with an angered expression. "Are you mad now?"

"You just called me a bitch!"

Tate laughed. "No, I said you were acting like a bitch, and you are. You don't have to be a tough girl around me, Vi."

"I'm a tough girl all of the time." Violet raised her eyebrows at him, daring him to prove her wrong.

Tate leaned closer. "Are you?" Tate continued to lean closer to Violet until their noses were almost touching. He tilted his head so that his lips were almost brushing Violet's. She was breathing quickly, and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. Tate could feel her knees shaking against his. "You don't seem so tough now…" His words whispered against her lips.

Violet began to lean into him, and Tate closed his eyes, expecting her to kiss him. He didn't see Violet squint her eyes before leaning backwards. Tate's head whipped to the side as Violet's flat hand connected with the side of his face. His eyes popped open at the sting of her cold hand.

"Ass." She stood up and moved to walk away from him, but Tate's hand wrapped around her ankle. "Let me go."

"No." Tate growled. "What is your problem?" He looked up at Violet as she glared down at him.

"Sorry for not wanting my first kiss to be a joke."

Tate let go of her ankle and stood up. Violet had always been small for her age. Instead of being taller than Tate, like most girls her age, she was at eye level with him. "I wasn't joking, Vi." He moved closer to her.

Violet's brows knitted together in confusion. Tate moved closer to her again, and she backed away from him. This back and forth continued until her back was pressed against the door. Tate leaned his head forward, tilting again so that his lips were close to hers.

"Don't." Violet whispered right before Tate's lips pressed against hers. His chapped lips felt rough against her soft ones. Violet's eyes instantly closed, and her brain felt like it shut down. The only thing she could think of was Tate. Tate pushed his lips against hers for a few seconds before pulling back, smiling like a small child. Violet kept her eyes closed and took a deep breath, remembering that she required oxygen.

Tate stared at Violet's face, trying to figure out if she was angry with him. Her cheeks where flushed with a light pink color, and her eyes were shut tightly. It took her a moment before she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Tate. Tate smiled at her, and she scowled at him. Tate chuckled.

"What, Vi?"

Violet moved past him and walked into the middle of his room. Her back was to him, and he couldn't see her touch her lips lightly with her fingers. Her heart fluttered just thinking about Tate.

"That was fun, right Vi?" Tate asked.

Violet shook her head, trying not to let her emotions show. She was not going to give Tate the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten the best of her. She was the tough one in this friendship. She turned around with another glare on her face. "Yea, fun."

Violet walked towards him and tried to move past him to get to the door, but Tate's hand wrapped around her arm. "What's wrong? Are you made at me?"

"I'm fine. I just have to go home now. It's getting late." Violet spoke quietly and yanked her arm out of Tate's grasp. Tate stood in the middle of his room with a dumbfounded look while he watched Violet leave his room.

…

Violet was at the bottom of the stair case when she heard strange noises coming from the hallway to the right of her. She turned her head and looked down the hallway, seeing that it was empty. She shook her head and moved towards the front door. She turned around quickly when she heard the sound of laughter coming from behind her. Again, the hallway was empty, but now the door to the basement was open. Violet walked to the open door and looked down the stairs into the darkness of the basement. She saw a flash of red run past the bottom of the stairs.

"Hello?" She quickly called down the stairs. She began to walk down them and turned the corner into an open room. She heard the laughter again and walked farther into the dark basement. She saw something run past her out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned around. She gasped and jumped back when she came face to face with a man dressed in ancient doctor scrubs. "You look very young. Are you here for the procedure?"

Violet ran past him, trying to find her way out of the basement. She turned a corner quickly and ran straight into a nurse that was soaking wet. "Look at what he did to me." She cried at Violet. Violet cried out and ran past her.

The basement was so dark that Violet could not see where she was going. Something slammed into her hips, causing her to fall backwards. She slid against the floor. Violet was crying, scared out of her mind. She heard a noise coming from in front of her. She shook her head, causing her tears to fall down her cheeks. She could hear something breathing heavily as it came closer to her.

Violet let out a blood curdling scream when she saw a creature with a bloody mouth and pointy teeth lean in close to her face. Violet knew she was going to die. She closed her eyes and was about to scream again but was stopped by a hand covering her mouth and an arm wrapping around her stomach, pulling her off of the floor.

"Go away!" The person holding her yelled, loudly. The creature disappeared into the darkness. Violet could feel her mind becoming fuzzier and gave into the darkness that was making her eyelids heavy. She fell limp in the person's arms, and the person lifted her up into its arms.

…

Violet woke up and opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. For a second, she did not remember where she was. She moved to sit up but got incredibly dizzy.

"You okay?" Tate moved to her side and helped her lie back down.

Violet's eyes grew wide as Tate's voice brought back the memories of what had happened to her before she fainted. "Tate... You saved me." She whispered while staring into his black eyes. "What… What was that thing?"

Tate grabbed Violet's shoulders and gently helped her sit up against the back of the couch so that he could sit down beside her. "Do you remember the day you met Nora, and I told you that there were ghosts in the house?" Violet nodded her head. "Well, those things in the basement are ghosts. I'm sorry they scared you, Vi."

"How was that… that monster a ghost?"

"Who, Thaddeus? That is Nora's son, sorta. It's a long story. If he ever tries to touch you again all you have to do is close your eyes and say go away. It works on any ghost, but Thad is really the only dangerous one. The others just like to scare new people." Tate smiled at Violet.

Violet stared at Tate like he was a crazy person. Everything in her mind was telling her that none of his words could be true. She was about to run out of the house screaming, but Tate's smile stopped her. She instantly smiled back at him, not being able to control it. His smile made her calm down and feel safe.

"Just make sure that you stay near me when you are here, okay? They won't come near you if you are with me." Tate spoke calmly.

"Why don't they come near you?" Violet asked.

Tate shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know… Maybe Nora told them not to."

"Oh…" Violet whispered. She felt the scabs on her arm pull against the material of her sweater, and she winced. Tate took her arm in his hands again, pulling her sleeve up. Violet gasped when he kissed the two red lines on her arm.

"Violet, promise me that you won't cut yourself again."

"You do it." She replied.

Tate shook his head. "I haven't done it since you stopped me that one time." Tate let go of her arm and pulled up his sleeves to prove his point. The only thing on his arms was the light pink scar from where he cut his wrist. "Please, Vi. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I promise."

Tate smiled while he pulled his and hers sleeves back down. "You are still my best friend, right? Even if my house is haunted?"

Violet nodded her head. "For always."

_**Okay, we are finally done with the young ages. I wrote the young ages chapters because they set up how Violet and Tate will react with one another when they are older. The next chapter is going to take place in 1994, when Tate is 17 and Violet is 16. There will be multiple chapters for this age bracket because a lot of stuff happens in 1994. Do you know one important thing that does? **_

_**Thank you to everyone that reviews this story! I love you all. **_


	5. I Love You, too

**1994 – 17/16**

_**This chapter is basically the build up chapter to the events that are going to occur during 1994. This chapter is happy and loving, but the angst will soon follow in the next chapters. Things are going to heat up (wink wink) then get really dark and cold. I hope that you are as excited as I am!**_

_**Sidenote: Larry's story is different in this story. His wife divorced him because he was a cheater. They never lived in the Murder House because the Langdon's never moved out of it. He only has one daughter, Margret. Yea, that about sums up his background. **_

Tate was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He knew that he should get up and get ready for school, but he was just not in the mood to deal with the fake, ignorant students at Westfield High School. Today was the first day of his junior year. He was amazed that he has made it through two years already. He knew the only reason that he did was because of Violet. She hated the people at the school as much as he did, but she loved learning. She was so smart and took all honors classes, mostly because of her dad's requests but partly because she liked the challenge.

Tate closed his eyes and thought about Violet. He could picture her perfectly in his mind. She was always wearing a short floral dress, purple leggings, gray sweater, and gray boots in his imagination. Her hair had darkened over the years and was now dark blonde. It was long enough that the ends brushed against the middle of her back, curling slightly. Tate had only seen her with her hair up once when he walked in on her shaving her legs. Her faced had turned the bright shade of red that he loved to cause. He smiled to himself when he thought of that memory. He also thought about how her attitude had changed over the years. She was tougher than any girl he knew, not that he knew many. She spoke her mind without hesitation. She told her parents exactly what she thought of them, even if it was that they were "fucking crazy". The first time Tate heard her say those words to her parents, he almost burst out laughing. Violet was brave. She was no longer afraid of the ghosts that haunted his house. In Tate's opinion, Violet was perfect in every way.

Tate was torn away from his thoughts by the sound of a male's voice calling from the outside of his bedroom door. Tate rolled his eyes and sneered at the voice, yelling "Fuck off!" to the person behind the door. The voice belonged to Larry, his mother's new toy. Constance had met him at some meeting for parents with troubled youth. Larry had been there because his daughter, Margret, had tried to kill herself after Larry divorced her mother.

Tate hated Larry. He hated him because he was a pathetic excuse for a man. He hurt his ex-wife and daughter because he could not stay away from prostitutes and strippers. Tate knew that he was not a perfect person, but he swore that he would never hurt the people that he loved. He swore that he would never be like Larry.

Tate sat up in his bed and moved to grab his book bag. Before he could reach it, he was overcome with a sick feeling. "No." He growled and slammed his palm against his forehead. This was what always happened before the voices began to invade his thoughts. The voices had been getting worse the past few months. They were constantly pulling him towards the darkness, especially in his dreams. He would have dreams where he would slaughter random people just because he liked to see the blood splatter. The dreams scared him and intrigued him at the same time. He was fighting a war inside of his mind, and he felt like the good side was losing.

He knew that he had to find a way to get the voices to disappear.

…

Violet was sitting at her desk, staring at a picture of her and Tate that was taped to her mirror. The picture showed her smiling from ear to ear as Tate grabbed her from behind and lifted her off the ground. They both looked as happy as could be. Violet remembered the day that the picture was taken perfectly.

_Her parents had invited Tate's family over for a dinner party because they wanted to get to know Larry better. Everyone was out in the backyard, talking and having a good time. Violet had been standing off to the side, her arms crossed over her body. She was observing how the adults interacted with each other and had determined that everyone in her life was a poser. Her mother was walking around taking pictures with her new Polaroid camera. _

_Violet scowled when her mother focused the camera on her. Her mother begged her to smile, but she just shook her head. She was taken by surprise when someone's arms wrapped around her waist. "Smile, beautiful." Tate whispered in her ear before lifting her off the ground. The flash of the camera went off right when a smile appeared on her face. _

Violet smiled at the memory. She was determined to make this year great. She did not care for anyone at the school, except for Tate, but she wanted to do well this year. She also was determined to make sure that Tate did well in his classes. If he could pick his grades up, then he would be able to get into a local college for one year, waiting for her to graduate, before they could both go somewhere far away for school. Violet was thinking somewhere along the East Coast would be nice.

…

Violet threw her bag against her floor before running out of her bedroom. She had been counting down the hours until school was over. It was Friday afternoon, and she had plans to spend the weekend with Tate. Her parents thought that she was going to be spending the weekend with her "friend" Sally. Her parents were so wrapped up in their own drama that they didn't even notice how awful the lie was. Violet had already packed a bag of clothes and such that she would need for the weekend and it was waiting by the door.

"Hunny, I hope that you have a fun time at your friend's!" Vivien called from the living room without even turning around to look at Violet. Violet just rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag, and left the house. She made sure to walk a ways down the sidewalk before doubling back and going through Tate's backyard, just to be safe. Tate was waiting for her at the back door.

"Hey." Tate spoke with a cool tone. Violet smiled at him. "Hi." Tate took her bag from her hand and led her into the house. Violet was smart enough now to know not to go anywhere in the house unless Tate was near by. For some reason, Nora was the only ghost that seemed to like her. She followed Tate up the stairs and into his room. He placed her bag against the wall before turning and facing her.

"So… What do you want to do?" Tate looked down at her. He had grown significantly over the years. His 5'11" stature loomed over Violet's 5'4" frame. Violet shrugged her shoulders before moving past him and going to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Anything." She looked up at him. Tate raised his eyebrows before moving to stand directly in front of her. His thighs were pressed against her knees. "Where is everybody?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"Um… Lilly is at one of her bitchy friend's house. The cocksucker and the cock took Addie and Beau to some hospital out of town to get their yearly check ups. It's just me for the entire weekend."

"Cool." Violet's reply was short. She looked up at him again before her hands moved to the end of his shirt. She slipped her fingers under the edge of his shirt, running them along his skin. She felt Tate shiver.

"Vi…" His words were breathy. Her fingers on his skin felt like ice touching fire. She always had cold hands. He moaned when her full hand rested against his stomach. Her hands continued to push up his shirt, and he finally helped her rid him of it.

Violet's eyes roamed over Tate's bare chest. He had enough muscle so that all of his features were defined. Violet's small hands ran along his shoulders, collar bone, and rested against his pecks. Tate watched her the entire time, noticing how she would slightly smile to herself whenever she felt him shiver.

Violet could see that Tate wanted this as much as she did. She was nervous, but she had been thinking about this for a while. They had been best friends for as long as she could remember. She was not one of those girls that needed all of the "lovey dovey" romance shit, but she wanted her first time to be special and with Tate. There was no one in this world that she trusted more than him. He was everything to her, and she knew that she was everything to him, mostly because he told her that on a regular basis. He even went as far as saying "Violet, I love…" but then he got nervous and ended the sentence with "Kurt Cobain." Violet had just laughed the situation off and agreed with his statement.

"Tate, I want to." She looked up at him and saw his eyes get wide. His black eyes stared into hers for a moment before he leaned down and captured her lips with his. The kiss was soft and gentle, nothing like what Violet wanted. Her hands grabbed Tate's shoulders and pulled him closer to her. She leaned back against the mattress and pulled him on top of her. She pressed her lips to his firmly, hoping that he would get the message.

Tate's thoughts were going crazy. He was a hormonal teenager and had fantasized about this moment for the past few years, but now that it was happening, he had no idea what to do. He loved Violet. He hadn't told her yet because he didn't know how she would react. He wanted to be with her so badly, but he wanted to make sure that their first time was perfect. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Violet moaning. He opened his eyes and saw that hers were open as well. The look she gave him questioned why he was not fully participating in what they were doing. Tate pulled his lips away from hers and moved to sit next to her on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Violet's words sounded annoyed. This was not how she planned this to go. She kept her eyes forward, not looking at Tate.

Tate ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. "Nothing… I… I don't know, Vi. This is happening really fast. I… Fuck." Tate put his head in his hands.

Violet felt completely rejected. She moved to get off the bed. "I should go…"

"No, Vi! Please, I'm sorry. I'm a dick. Don't go." Tate hand reached out and wrapped around her wrist, keeping her from getting of the bed completely. Tate watched as Violet took a deep breath before moving to sit back down. When Tate let go if her wrist, she moved to sit at the end of the bed, facing him.

She kept her eyes down, focusing on picking at a loose string on her sweater.

"What are we?" Tate asked her in a quiet voice. Violet turned her head up and looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Like… Are we together?" Tate's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink.

"Uh… Yea, I guess. Do you want to be? I mean, we are best friends right?"

Tate shook his head. "I don't… I don't want to just be your best friend, Violet! I… I fucking love you, okay?" Tate practically yelled the last part at her.

Violet leaned backward a bit at his forceful words. She had been waiting patiently for over a year for Tate to say those words to her, but now that he had, she had no idea how to respond. Of course, she loved him, but she was afraid to say it. Saying it back meant that she would be giving a piece of herself to him. She would be losing some of her independence that she worked so hard to gain.

When she didn't reply for a few moments, Tate got nervous. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that…" He shook his head a few times, silently cursing himself for saying those words to her when she obviously didn't feel the same. He stopped shaking his head when he felt a hand on his knee. He looked up, and Violet was sitting directly in front of him.

"I… I love you, too." She smiled at him.


	6. THE Night

**_So this is the chapter that I have been writing since this story began. I have rewritten it many a time because I just felt like something wasn't right. I hope that I have finally captured this scene perfectly. I loved writing Violet in this chapter! She is a total bad ass, except when it comes to Tate. She is like a little girl, hopelessly in love, when she is around him. I love it. Please leave reviews on what you think of this chapter. _**

Tonight was THE night. Tate's mom and Larry were taking Addie and Beau out of town again because the doctor had told them that he needed to run more tests on Beau. They had left earlier that morning. Tate had spent the entire day trying to make sure that everything was perfect for Violet. It had been a month since he finally admitted his love for her, and she had returned it. He was going to do everything that he could to make this night one that would never be forgotten. Nothing was going to ruin it, especially not the voices that continued to pick at his mind. He had asked Nora to help him and stay by him until Violet arrived because the voices did not bother him as much when Nora was near by.

Violet was currently sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at nothing in particular. She had been dressed and ready for the past hour. Her parents had believed another lie about going to a friend's house. She had been waiting for this night for a long time, but now that it was finally here, she was a nervous wreck. She loved Tate and had already given him a piece of herself, her heart. Now she was planning on giving him another piece of herself. It had always been hard for her to connect with other people. She was always a loner and was happy with being independent. Tate was the first person to ever step in her life and completely shake it up. She was immediately drawn to him. She had loved him since the day she met him, when he had pulled her out of the pool. This night was going to be something that she would remember for always. Tate seemed to bring out the hopeless romantic in her.

Violet smiled to herself before taking a deep breath and walking over to her full length mirror. She tugged at the bottom of her red dress. She was not wearing an outfit that she normally would, but tonight was not a normal night. She had on a long sleeve, red dress that fell halfway down her thighs and silver ballet flats. She had decided against leggings tonight because they were always a hassle to take off. She let her hair fall down her back in loose curls. She gave her appearance one more look before deciding that this was as good as it was going to get.

She grabbed her bag, walked downstairs, waved goodbye to her parents that were focused on something else besides her, and walked across the street to Tate's house. The door opened right before she was about to knock. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Tate standing in front of her. He handsome features would never cease to make her weak in the knees. She smiled as her eyes scanned over his appearance. He was wearing black pants and a black button up shirt. His hair was as curly and messy as ever.

"You look amazing, Vi." Tate's voice was low.

"So do you."

Tate extended his hand out to her, and she took it, getting pulled across the threshold and into the house. Tate grabbed her bag from her and placed it at the bottom of the stairs before turning to face her. He looked down at her and smiled, leaning forward and gently placing his lips upon hers. He pulled back and watched as a smile spread across Violet's face.

"So are you hungry?" He asked. Violet nodded her head and let him lead her into the dining room. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the room. The lights had been turned off, and the only light in the room was coming from candles that lined the center of the dining room table.

"Wow."

"I know it's cheesy, but what can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic." Violet laughed at Tate's words and leaned against his side.

"No, I like it." She smiled up at him.

…

"That was great, Tate. I had no idea that you could cook."

"Well it is only something I do for girls that I really like. All of the others just get take out." Tate teased Violet. Violet laughed and pushed his shoulder gently.

"Oh, well then I feel special."

Tate's facial expression became very serious. "You are special to me, Violet."

Violet smiled. The flickering of the candle flames reflected off of her eyes. Her hand cupped Tate's cheek, and he pressed his face into her cool palm. Violet leaned forward slightly and waited for Tate to lean the rest of the way. The kiss was slow and gentle, as if it were the first. Violet wrapped her arms around his neck as Tate's hands moved to rest of her hips. They pulled away after a few moments so that they could catch their breaths.

"Do you want…" Tate's head motioned toward the stairs. Violet nodded and stood up when he did. She walked along side him up the stairs and into his bed room. They both stood facing each other in the middle of the room. Violet could feel her cheeks turning pink when she blushed at the entire situation. She had no idea how nervous she would be standing in front of him.

"Are you cold?" Tate moved closer to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Violet shook her head slowly. "Then why are you shaking?" Violet shrugged her shoulders, not being able to voice her concerns.

Tate tilted his head to the side, staring at her face, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Do… Do you still want to do this, Vi?"

Violet looked up into his black eyes. "Do you?"

Tate chuckled and cupped her face in his hands. "I want you so badly, Violet, but I can wait until you're ready. If you aren't right now then we can just lie down and sleep. Is that what you want?"

"No. I want you, too. I just don't really know what to do. Have you done this before?" Violet's voice was higher pitched than normal because of her nerves.

Tate shook his head. "No, but I promise that I will make it amazing for you. Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" Violet replied within the second after he asked. She did not have to think whether or not she trusted him because she always had.

"Then just relax."

Violet took a deep breath. "Okay…" She nodded her head. "Okay." She smiled up at Tate. He returned the smile before leaning down to capture her lips with his. The kiss started off gentle like the one from earlier but soon it became more heated. Tate wrapped his arms around her small frame and pulled her body flush against his. One of his hands rested against the small of her back, holding her against him, while the other hand ran through her long hair.

Violet placed her hands against Tate's chest, trying to unbutton his shirt, but her hands were still shaking. Tate pulled away from her lips. "Here." He moved his hands over hers and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. Violet ran her hands over his naked chest before shedding him of his shirt. Tate's mouth moved to Violet's collarbone and kissed around her throat. His hands moved to the end of her dress and pulled it over her head.

Violet suddenly became very self conscience, standing in front of Tate in only her bra and underwear. Her arms instantly wrapped around her small frame as her cheeks turned bright red.

"Vi… Don't hide from me. You're beautiful." Tate whispered as his hands ran along her arms. He took her hands within his and brought them up to his lips, kissing one right after the other. Tate placed her hands on his shoulders so that his eyes could roam over her body. She was beautiful and perfect to him in every way.

Violet slowly slid her hands down Tate's chest until she reached the top of his pants. Her fingers slowly undid his belt, sliding it out of the belt loops and discarding it on the floor. It took her a minute to undo the button and zipper on his pants. Tate stood completely still and watched her. Violet finally got his pants undone, and Tate slid out of them, kicking them behind him.

Now it was Violet's turn to take in Tate's appearance. Her eyes ran along his broad shoulders and chest before moving downward. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the tent in his boxers. Tate noticed her reaction and grabbed her chin with his hand, pulling her eyes up to meet his. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her pink lips before grabbing her hand and leading her over to his bed.

"Lie down with me." Tate whispered into her ear and moved to lie down on his bed. Violet moved after him, lying down facing him. He smiled at her as he brushed a piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"I love you so much, Violet."

Violet's breath caught in her throat again. She would never get tired of hearing him proclaim his love for her. She slowly ran her fingers along his jaw. "I love you, too."

Tate leaned over her, causing her to lie flat on her back. He leaned against one of his arms while his other hand slowly moved down Violet's body. His fingers lightly ran between her breasts and down her flat stomach. Tate watched as she sucked in her stomach when his fingers touched her because she was trying not to shiver. He moved his hand to her hip next and then down to rest on her thigh. She had her legs held together so Tate gently pushed her thigh to the side, causing her to open her legs so that he could situate his body between them.

Violet gasped as Tate's arousal pressed against her core. She looked up at her love that loomed over her. His dark eyes stared into hers. She felt all of her nerves wash away when he smiled at her again before mouthing "I love you."

Tate nuzzled his face in the crook of Violet's neck and began to leave a trail of kisses along her neck. His kisses moved down until his teeth grazed the top of one of her breasts that was not covered by her bra. Violet arched her back and moaned. Tate lifted her back off of the bed so that he could undo the clasp and rid her of the material that was in his way.

"Oh!" Violet gasped as she felt Tate's mouth surround one of her nipples. His teeth scraped her and then his tongue soother the small twinge of pain. "Mm…" Violet arched her back again as Tate moved on to her neglected breast. His kisses then moved lower, moving down her stomach. He kissed both sides of her protruding hip bone before placing a kiss at the top of her underwear.

Tate could tell by the stain on her underwear that she was more than enjoying what he was doing to her. His fingers curled around the top of the material and slowly slid it down her slender legs before throwing it somewhere behind him. He felt her legs tighten around him as if she was trying to close her legs, but she couldn't because his body was between them. He looked up at her face, and her cheeks were once again bright red.

"So beautiful." He murmured, trying to ease some of her nerves.

His lips returned to her skin, kissing the inside of one of her thighs. Violet's hand stopped him right before his lips could make contact with her core. "Wh… What are you doing?" Violet stuttered.

"Trust me. It will be better for you if I do this first." Tate smiled at her, continuing when she nodded. His lips gently pressed against her, making her jut her hips up and moan loudly. His tongued darted out and ran along her folds.

"Mm… Tate." Violet moaned again. Her eyes were closed and her hands were grasping the sheets on either side of her. Her eyes popped open quickly as she felt him insert a finger inside of her. She winced at the intrusion, having never felt something like that before.

"It will feel weird at first." Tate whispered to her. His finger slowly moved in and out of her, waiting for her to start respond. After a moment, Violet thrust her hips forward against his finger. He began to move his finger faster before adding a second one. Violet gasped at the new feeling. Tate continued at the same pace. He watched as Violet's facial expression changed from uncertain to pleased.

Violet was starting to find pleasure in the feeling of Tate's fingers inside of her. She began to move her hips in the rhythm of his fingers. She could feel something inside of her starting to build. It felt like a small fire that was slowly working its way to consuming her entire body. She whined when Tate took his fingers away from her.

She looked down at him and watched his he slid his boxers down his legs and dropped them to the floor. Her eyes grew wide when she saw how big he was. Tate leaned over to the table beside his bed and grabbed the condom that was sitting on top of it. Violet watched as he ripped the package open with his teeth and rolled to flimsy looking material over his arousal.

Tate looked up at her and moved so that his body was above hers. Violet felt his tip touch her core. She looked directly in Tate's black eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her as he slowly pushed into her. She closed her eyes tightly.

"Don't tense up. Just relax." Tate whispered to her. Violet tried to take a deep breath and calm down. When Tate reached her barrier, he stopped for a second before thrusting completely into her.

"Fuck!" Violet called out as tears filled up her eyes. She had a high tolerance for pain, but this was a new feeling. It didn't hurt as much as it made her feel completely full, as if there was nothing else she would ever need.

Tate stopped moving once her was completely inside of her and kissed away her tears. "I'm so sorry, Vi. I never wanted to hurt you."

Violet shook her head and placed a hand on his cheek. "It's okay. Just give me a minute to get used to you." She leaned forward and kissed his lips. Violet gently moved her hips to see if there was any pain. When she no longer felt anything and pulled her lips away from Tate's. "Okay."

Tate slowly began to move within her, pulling almost completely out before thrusting all the way back in. Violet moaned with every thrust.

Tate's forehead rested against her shoulder. He was having a hard time trying to keep his control. "God, Vi. You feel so good." His kissed her shoulder.

"Tate… Faster. Please!"

Tate leaned back and looked at her. His thrusts become more rapid and harder. Violet threw her head back against the pillows and called out his name over and over again. Tate was coming close to his end, but wanted to make sure the Violet reached her first. His hand dipped between them and began to massage her bundle of nerves. This was her undoing. Violet began to shake as the fire inside of her exploded.

"Tate!" She called out loudly as her entire body felt like it caught on fire. Her walls began to contract around him, sending him over the edge. He called out her name and fell onto her chest.

Both of them were trying to catch their breaths. Tate rolled off of Violet and pulled her against his side. Her head rested against his chest, and she listened to his heart beating rapidly.

"Wow." That was the only word that was running through Violet's mind.

Tate kissed her forehead before nodding in agreement.

They both fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, feeling completely loved for the first time.

_**Now this story is officially M rated!**_


	7. High

_**This chapter is kind of choppy. Choppy in the sense that many different scenes take place. All of the scenes lead up to one big scene in the next chapter. I hope that you enjoy! **_

**1994 - 16/17**

Tate could hear the phone ringing from inside his dream. He did not want to open his eyes and lose his dream. He was dreaming about Violet, holding her, kissing her. The ringing stopped for a minute and then began again. Tate groaned and rolled out of the bed, groggily walking over to the phone in his bedroom.

"What?" He growled into the phone.

Violet slowly sat up in the bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her naked form. She watched as Tate moved to the desk and picked up the phone. He growled into the receiver and then grew scarily quiet. She saw how his face changed from overcome with sleep to disturbingly upset. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his cheeks. Then he started yelling into the phone. Violet could not make out most of the words that he yelled because he voice was muffled from his tears. He slammed the phone down and stood completely still, except for the small shaking of his shoulders as his sobs wracked through him.

"Tate?" Violet asked quietly. She had never seen him react this way before, and it scared her. For the past few years, he had always been the strong one in their friendship. Tate didn't respond to her speaking his name. Violet moved out of the bed and wrapped the sheet around her small frame, walking over to him and placing her hand on his back.

"Tate?"

Tate shook his head. "My brother… He's dead." He choked out the words.

Violet gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

Tate shook his head again and moved away from her, still keeping his back to her. Violet followed him with her eyes. She watched as he moved over to his chest of drawers and slammed his hands against the top of it, sending the objects on it flying across the floor. She moved quickly to his side and tried to wrap him in her arms. He shrugged away from her.

"Don't" He growled. Tate could feel the darkness seeping into him. It was always strong when he was weak. He could hear the voices flooding into his mind.

"Tate, please… Don't push me away." Violet reached out towards him again, and he smacked her hand away. Violet gasped and pulled her arm towards her. She had fear and hurt in her eyes.

"Vi, I'm… I'm sorry." Tate could see the look in her eyes, and he knew that he had scared her. Maybe it is for the best, he thought. If she was afraid of him, she would leave before he really hurt her. He could feel his control slipping as the voices got louder. They were almost yelling inside of his head.

"Just leave, Violet. Go." Tate moved so that he could hold on to the edge of his desk. He started to sway as his mind became foggy. Violet moved closer to him, worried about what was happening to him. "GET OUT!" He yelled at her. She jumped back at his forceful words. He could see the tears in her eyes as she moved to grab her clothes. He watched her as she threw on the articles of clothing.

Violet was trying her hardest not to cry in front of Tate. She was worried about him and how he was reacting to his brother's death, but she was also afraid. He was being so cruel, and she had no idea why. She looked up at him one last time, pleading with her eyes. He just shook his head and pointed toward the door. Violet felt anger take the place of her hurt for a split second.

"Fine!" She yelled at him before marching out of his room. Her anger was boiling inside of her. It was always easier for her to switch to being angry when she was upset. She hated crying and looking weak. She moved quickly down the stairs and ran straight into Nora.

"Oh sweet child, what is wrong?" Nora gently grabbed Violet by her shoulders and looked into her eyes. Violet ripped her body away from Nora's grasp.

"Why don't you ask the crazy person upstairs?" Violet spit the words out venomously. She turned on her heal and began to walk towards the front door.

"Please, don't give up on him. He needs you." Nora called out to her.

"Too bad!" Violet yelled as she opened the door and slammed it shut once she was outside.

It was still somewhat dark outside because it was so early in the morning. Violet ran across the street and into her house. She ignored the calls from her parents as she ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. She fell onto her bed and finally let all of her emotions out. She screamed into her pillow and started to cry. She tried to muffle her sobs in her pillow.

"Fuck!"

…

It had been almost a week since Violet had seen Tate. She normally saw him in the hallways in between classes, but this entire week went without even a glance of his blonde, shaggy curls. He hadn't tried to call or contact at all. Violet was nothing if not stubborn. She refused to be the first one to make a move, even though she felt like she was falling apart. She had no other friends besides Tate. He was the only person that mattered to her. Now she felt like she was just floating through day by day.

She was walking to her car after school one day when her eyes caught sight of blonde curls. She saw Tate standing near a van, talking to a smaller guy. Tate handed him a wad of cash before taking something out of the guy's hand. Violet watched the scene play out in front of her, and it took her a few minutes to register what was happening. Her eyes grew wide when the realization hit her that Tate was buying drugs from some guy in a van. She almost moved to walk up to him and smack him across the face. She mentally stopped herself when Tate turned towards her and looked at her. His eyes tore into her, causing Violet to shiver from his intense gaze. The look last for only a second before Tate looked away and walked in the other direction.

Violet placed her hand over to her mouth to keep her from crying or yelling at him. She let her anger and stubbornness take over again, getting into her car and slamming the door. She slammed her hands down against the steering wheel. She was angery and hurt that Tate had chosen to drown in sorrows in drugs than come talk to her. The entire ride back to her house was spent with loud, angry music blaring through the speakers.

…

It had been two weeks since Violet had seen Tate buying drugs. She had run into him at school a few times. The first time he pummeled into her as he rounded a corner in the hallway. He grabbed her before she hit the floor and instinctively pulled her close to him. That was the first time that Violet got a glimpse of Tate when he was high. His eyes were pitch black, his eyelids were blinking rapidly, and his bottom lip was quivering. Seeing him like that scared her because he looked completely out of control.

The second time Violet ran into him scared her even more. She was walking down one of the aisles in the library when she was grabbed from behind and pulled backward. The person wrapped one arm around her waist and put his other hand over her mouth. Violet struggled against the attacker but was not strong enough to get away. She was pushed up against the book shelfz and stopped struggling when her eyes met Tate's black ones.

"God, Vi. I've missed you." Tate leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. Violet tried to move her head to the side so that his hand would not be covering her mouth anymore. Tate noticed this and took his hand away from her. "Sorry."

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Violet whispered angrily at him.

Tate looked sad. "I didn't know how to get your attention."

Violet glared at him. "And attacking me in the library was your best solution?"

Tate's hands moved to grab Violet's arms. He shook her as he whispered. "I just miss you so much!"

"You're hurting me, Tate." Violet tried to stay calm. She could see that he was high and not in full control. "Let me go."

Tate shook his head and grabbed her tighter. "I don't want to lose you."

"Let me go, Tate." Violet's words were full of confidence.

Tate was taken back by her forceful words and let her go. As soon as Violet was free, her hand moved up and slapped Tate across the face before she moved out of his reach.

"Don't you ever touch me again when you are like this!" She growled at him before turning and walking quickly into the open lounge of the library.

Tate leaned back against the book shelf and slowly sank to the floor. He buried his head in his hands. His thoughts were all over the place, and he could not decode them. He stayed sitting in the library until he heard the last bell of the day sound.

…

Tate walked through the front door of his house and slammed it shut behind him. Nothing was the same since Beau had died. His mother and Larry were rarely home. They spent all of their time going on mini vacations or anything else that would keep them away for days at a time. Constance had left Tate to take care of Addie. Tate loved his sister, and she could mostly take care of herself. She spent most of her time in the basement, so she didn't bother Tate.

As soon as Tate walked in the door, he was bombarded by Nora. She was standing in the middle of the foyer with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face.

"Don't try to play to concerned mother role. I'm not in the mood." Tae tried to move past her, but Nora mirrored his movements and stood in front of him.

"Don't you dare speak to me that way, Tate Langdon. I may not have given birth to you, but I am the closest thing you have to a real parent. I have always been there for you." Nora grabbed Tate's chin and pulled his eyes down to meet hers. "Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you ruining everything in your life?"

Tate moved his head out of her grasp. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please!" Nora exclaimed. "I know about the drugs, Tate. I also know that you are pushing that sweet Violet away. You are not making good choices!"

Tate couldn't look Nora in the eye because somewhere in the back of his mind he knew she was right. That part of his mind was currently not in control anymore. "The drugs make the voices go away." Tate spoke quietly.

"Sweet child… The drugs make you think that, but it is not true. The drugs make it easier for the voices to control you."

Tate shook his head. "You're wrong."

"Tate…"

Tate shook his head and interrupted Nora's words. "Go away, Nora." Tate watched as the woman in front of him disappeared. He took a deep breath before running his hands over his face. He could feel the shaking start, and he knew that he was in need of another fix.

…

It had been about a week since the library incident. Violet had not seen Tate at all, and she was somewhat glad. She did not want to deal with him when he was high.

Class was about to begin when a guy stopped her in the hallway to ask her a question about the homework assignment.

Tate had just rounded the corner and was walking down the hallway when he saw Violet talking to a guy. The guy said something to her, and she laughed slightly. Tate could feel his anger begin to boil inside of him. He had done a few lines before he came to school, and now the drugs were in complete control. Without thinking, he walked quickly up the Violet and the guy and punched the guy in the jaw.

"Tate!" Violet screamed. Tate watched as the guy fell to the ground, holding his jaw in pain. Students crowded around them to see what was happening.

Violet saw a teacher approaching. She grabbed Tate's arm roughly so that his eyes moved to look at her. "Just go, Tate. Go home." She pushed him through the crowd of student's before the teacher could reach them. She watched as he left through one of the doors at the end of the hallway.

"What's going on here?" The teacher questioned. Violet just shrugged her shoulders and walked into the classroom behind her.

…

It was later that same day and Violet was lying on her bed, reading. Her parents had left a few hours ago to go out to dinner for their anniversary. It amazed Violet that they were still together since they fought all of the time. Her attention was drawn away from her book when she heard a creak coming from outside her door. Her heart almost stopped when she saw her door handle twist. She sat up in her bed and looked around for something to use as protection. She didn't have a chance to grab anything before the door opened.

"Tate! What the fuck?" She exclaimed and let out the breath of air that she had been holding in.

Tate didn't say a word as he moved into her room and sat on the very edge of her bed. He kept his head hung down. Violet tried to meet his eyes to see if he was high or not.

"I'm not high. I swear." He mumbled under his breath.

"Do you really expect your word to mean something anymore?" Violet's voice was full of annoyance.

Tate finally looked up and met her eyes. She should see that he had tears that were threatening to fall at any moment. "I just… I needed to see you… To talk to you and hear your voice."

"So… Talk." Violet gave him a look.

Tate nodded his head. He reached out to take her hand in his, but she moved her hand out of his reach. "I know I've been distant… And jealous. And fuck up lately. I'm so sorry, Violet."

Violet could feel the tears rising in her eyes, but she pushed them back down by blinking a few times. She refused to be weak around him.

"I'm sorry too, Tate. I'm sorry that you felt like you couldn't lean on me and turned to drugs."

Tate shook his head, allowing a few tears to roll down his cheeks. "It's not like that, Vi!"

Violet leaned forward and placed her hand on his cheek. "It doesn't matter what it's like. What matters is that I can't be around you when you're high. You scare me, and you are mean, cruel. I just can't…"

Tate moved his head against her palm so that he could kiss her smooth skin.

"It's me or the drugs."

There is was, the ultimatum. Tate looked into Violet's light brown eyes. "I… I…"

Violet took her hand off his cheek. "I think you should leave now."

Tate stared at her for a minute before getting up and walking out of her room. Violet winced when he slammed her door.


	8. Stop Me

_**HaHa! Thank you for telling me that I uploaded the wrong chapter! Here is the CORRECT chapter! :)**_

_**This was the first chapter that I wrote for this story, and I have based all of the previous chapters to lead up to this one. This chapter has my heart right now, and in it, Violet has a change of heart. I have so many ideas on where to go after this pivotal moment in our two lover's lives. Stick with me until the end? ;)**_

**1994 – 16/17**

It had been a few weeks since Tate had visited Violet in her room. Violet worried about Tate like any normal person would, but she was still holding on to her stubbornness. Violet didn't get any sleep last night. She had stayed awake because she could see Tate's bedroom light shining through her window. She had waited for him to turn it off around one or two in the morning like normal, but he never did. It was 6am, and his damn light was still on. Violet was in an irritable mood because she did not sleep. She was curious as to why Tate had been up all night. After she had gotten ready for the day and watched Constance and Larry leave the house with Addie, Violet made her way across the street.

To her luck, the front door was unlocked. She quietly crept up the staircase and down the hallway to Tate's room. Tate was grabbing something from under his bed when Violet opened his door, without knocking. Tate jumped away from the bed and turned around quickly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He sneered at her while stumbling to stand up straight.

Violet could tell that he must have done a substantial amount of drugs earlier this morning because he was stumbling, and his eyes were extremely black. He was riding high on a trip. Violet knew that she had to be gentle with him in this state. He was always cruel and touchy when he was high. There was no way she was going to let him out of this room when he was like this. All she had to do was get him into the bed, and he would crash.

Tate's head was twitching slightly as he watched her slowly walk further into his room. "Hey, Tate." She spoke calmly. "I just came in to check on you because I noticed that your bedroom light had been on all night. You okay?"

The closer she got to him, the farther back he walked until he was corner between her and his desk. "Why don't you sit down?" Violet pointed to his desk chair. "You look a little out of it this morning. Are you sick?" Tate took a seat and shook his head. Good, he was buying her act. She needed to step it up one more notch before she had him hooked.

Tate woke up out of his daze when Violet placed her hand on his cheek. All of a sudden the voices came rushing back into his head, sobering up his cloudy mind. "I have to go to school now, Violet" He moved to stand, but Violet pushed him down with her hands on his shoulders.

She kept her hands on his shoulders and leaned in close to his face. "Now, Tate. Would you rather go to school or stay here with me? In bed, all day." She raised one eyebrow at him. She saw his dark eyes get even darker, if that was possible.

Tate could feel the voices and the darkness pulling him, urging him to go to school and go through with the plan. Today was the day that he was going to go to school and shoot anyone that he saw. That was the plan. Do it. The voices continued to call to him.

Tate's eyes followed Violet, watching her saunter over to his bed and lay down. She rested her head against one of his pillows and looked over at him. "Come on, Tate. Stay with me." She tried to make her voice sound as alluring as possible. Seeing the love of his life lying on his bed pushed away all of the voices in Tate's head.

Violet watched as Tate stood up and walked over to the bed. Her plan was working perfectly. She opened her arms to him when he reached the edge of the bed. Tate climbed onto the bed and rested his head against her chest, listening to her heart beat.

Violet ran her fingers through his blonde hair, causing Tate to moan contently. Violet could hear his breathing begin to slow. He was calming down, close to falling asleep. "How much coke did you do, Tate?"

"Mmm…" Tate nuzzled his head between her breasts, making Violet gasp. She reminded herself quickly that this was not the time for any of that.

"How much, Tate?"

"I did four lines, maybe five." Tate's voice was muffled against her skin. "I did some meth, too."

Violet chuckled slightly. "Well someone was adventurous this morning. Do you realize that you did enough drugs to kill an elephant?" She heard Tate laughed and pull her closer to his body.

Tate moved his head up so that it was resting on her shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "I want you so badly, Violet. I've missed you so much. Please don't leave me again." He began to kiss her neck.

Violet moaned at what his lips were doing to her. She could feel her mind clouding over and shook her head, pushing Tate's mouth away from her. "I'm not going anywhere." She pushed Tate gently so that he was lying on his back. She moved so that half of her body was on top of him, making sure that he couldn't move. "You need to sleep off the drugs, okay?" She ran her hand over his cheek and rested it on his shoulder.

Tate's eyes started to droop. "I'm so tired, Vi. Please don't leave." Tate closed his eyes, and his head rolled to the side.

Once she knew he was in a deep sleep, Violet moved into a sitting position beside him. She let her anger get the best of her because she knew that he could not hear her. "I'm not going anywhere, you idiot. Someone has to stay here and make sure that you didn't overdose on all of those fucking drugs. God damn it, Tate. I swear. I am going to make sure that this is the last time you ever do drugs. I'm going to save you from yourself and this place." She leaned close to his ear. "I promise." She kissed his cheek before sitting up again. She knew that he would not remember her promise when he woke up, but she would never forget it.

…

When Violet was sure that Tate was sound asleep, she began her search for all of his stashes of drugs in his room. She found some in his desk drawers, under his socks, and even some in a pair of shoes. She searched every nook and cranny in the room, piling up everything that she found at the end of Tate's bed. The only place she hadn't looked was under his bed. What she found shocked her and scared her even more.

There were multiple guns under Tate's bed, including a shotgun and a pistol. Violet pulled all of them out from under the bed, one by one. She placed them by the door, planning on putting them back where Tate found them, most liking in Larry's closet. She looked at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful and innocent.

Violet walked over to Tate and placed her hand on his cheek. "What were you planning on doing with the guns?" She knew that he wouldn't answer her, but she had to ask. Tate moved his head slightly, leaning into her small hand. Violet smiled. "I like the sweet Tate."

'So do I." Violet turned her head to the doorway and saw Nora standing there. She let out the breath she was holding, having no fear of the older woman. Nora walked into the room and smiled at the sleeping boy. "I hate when he does those drugs. They change him and make him turn to the darkness in this house. Thank you for taking care of him, dear girl. I worry what he might do when he is tainted."

"Could you do me a favor, Nora? Could you watch him to make sure that he keeps breathing while I get rid of this?" Violet pointed to the drugs and the guns. Nora nodded her head and took a seat on the bed beside Tate, resting her hand on his rising and falling stomach. Violet smiled her and left the room.

…

Violet flushed all of the drugs down the toilet and had put the guns back in the open safe in Larry's closet, making sure that the lock clicked when she shut the door. When she got back to Tate's room, Nora was reading poetry out loud to the sleeping boy. Violet smiled. "You would have made a great mother, Nora."

Nora looked up from her book. "Oh, thank you, sweet child. I wanted to be a mother more than anything, but keeping up with Tate all of these years has been more than enough for me. I love him as if he was my own." Nora ran her hand through Tate's hair once before standing up. "Thank you for being his friend and taking care of him. When you gave him that ultimatium a few weeks ago, he completely lost it. You were… Are his world. Please don't give up on him." Nora wrapped Violet in her arms and squeezed her tightly before she let her go and walked out of the bedroom.

"I won't." Violet whispered quietly to herself. She moved to sit next to Tate on the bedroom and felt his body begin to stir.

Tate tried to sit up but fell back down when he felt a stabbing pain in his head. "Ah, fuck!"

He felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. "Yes. Drug hangovers are the worst. Drink this." Tate relaxed when he heard her voice. It was Violet. He took the glass of water from her and chugged it down. He leaned into her embrace and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You stayed." He whispered.

"I told you that I would." Violet hand ran down his arm until she intertwined their fingers together. Tate pulled her hand up and kissed her fingers. "Tate… I have questions."

"You always do." Tate laughed.

"What were you planning on doing with the guns under your bed?"

Tate shot out of Violet's embrace and off the bed, forgetting about his splitting headache. His hands flung to his head. "Ah, fuck." He cursed again and moved to sit in his desk chair. Violet moved to sit on the edge of his bed. "Tate?"

"You went snooping through my room?" Tate growled at her.

"Yea. I also flushed all of your drugs."

"What?" Tate growled again. His head felt like it was going to explode. He was also starting to hear the voices again.

"You could have killed yourself with the amount of drugs you took this morning! I'm not going to let that happen. You are done with the drugs."

"You are not my mother, Violet."

"No, but Nora is pretty damn close, and she agrees with me."

Tate shook his head and glared at her. "You haven't spoken to me in weeks! Why do you care all of a sudden?"

Violet stared into his eyes. "I never stopped… Caring. I was just scared. I was watching you change into someone that I could never be around."

Tate could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "You are the bravest person I know, Vi."

Violet laughed and felt a tear run down her cheek. "Well, you must know a lot of cowards then."

Tate leaned forward and wiped the tear off of Violet's cheek with the sleeve of his black shirt. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Vi. Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're welcome."

**_Violet stopped Tate from going to school and shooting everyone :) Another HUGE thank you to everyone that reads and reviews this story! You all are just plain amazing! Oh, and if you love American Horror Story and Violate as much as I do, make sure you check out my Violate tumblr blog. The link is on my author page :) :) :) _**


	9. Save Me

**_I own NOTHING to do with the quote from One Tree Hill and Rihanna in this chapter! Just sayin... _**

It had been a few hours since Violet had seen Tate. She had gone home so that it looked like she had just gotten home from school. She spent an hour or so in her room, trying to figure out what to do with Tate. She knew there was no way he was just going to stop doing drugs. He would eventually just go buy more. She was brainstorming ideas: Rehab? Too expensive. Maybe, a Narcotics Anonymous meeting? That idea seemed more plausible for a teenager. She would look around for some and pick one for Tate to go to. There had to be a ton around. They did live in Los Angeles. She would go with him to the meeting once she found one so that he would have no other choice.

Violet moved and looked out of her window. It was getting dark outside and she could see Tate's bedroom light shining brightly. Now that she had let him back into her world, even if it was for only a few hours, she felt this longing for him. She felt something pulling her towards him. The feeling scared her and excited her at the same time. How could someone mean so much to her? The pulling got stronger the longer she spent away from him, so she decided that she would go check on him.

She walked out of her house without even a glance from her parents and made her way across the street. She knocked on the front door, but no one answered. Constance and Larry must be out again. She waited for a moment before knocking again. The door opened this time, and standing on the other side was Addie.

"Hello." Addie said without any emotion.

"Hey. How are you doing, Addie?" Violet tried to sound sweet. She liked Tate's sister and thought that she was nice.

"Eh, okay. Tate's upstairs." Addie moved out of the doorway and walked back to the door leading to the basement.

"Addie, aren't you afraid of the things in the basement?" Violet asked confused as she watched the girl.

Addie shook her head. "They're my friends." She said before disappearing into the darkness. Violet shook her head and wondered how someone could like being in the basement. She made her way up the stairs and into Tate's room.

She found him sitting in the middle of his room on the floor with a notebook in his hand. Violet moved to sit in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Writing." He answered while continuing to scribble words down on the lined paper. "It helps keep me sane, most of the time."

"Writing about what?"

Tate looked up at Violet's eyes. "Disappointment. Darkness."

"Will you read some of it to me?"

Tate nodded and lifted the notebook up. "_Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred, how did it find us? Did it steal into our lives, or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war hoping for their safe return but knowing that some would be lost along the way? When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows. Swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?_"

Violet stared at Tate after he was done reading.

"It's awful… I know." Tate mumbled as he closed the notebook and sat it down on the floor beside him. Violet took his hands in hers.

"No! I love it. It's amazing." Her eyes moved back and forth, staring into his. She leaned forward and softly pressed her lips against his. The breath in her lungs flew out of her as soon as his lips pressed into hers. She had forgotten just how amazing it felt when they kissed. Tate leaned closer to her, deepening the kiss. His lips moved against hers, pulling and kneading. His tongue ran against her bottom lip, and Violet willingly opened her mouth to him. Tate wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Violet moaned when her body came in contact with his. Why had she ever thought about giving this up? They both pulled away breathless.

"God, Vi…" Tate leaned his forehead against her shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm fucked up. I want to change."

Violet leaned back so that Tate would have to pick his head up and meet her eyes. "Tate… Tell me you love me."

Tate looked in Violet's light brown eyes and replied without any hesitation. "I love you, Violet."

Violet gasped quietly. Half of her had not expected him to say the words, and all of her melted when he did.

"Do you love me?" He questioned her when she didn't reply.

"If I knew how to stop, I would. I love you, Tate. No matter what." Violet smiled at him, and he smiled back. Tate leaned forward and pulled her into another searing kiss. Tate moved his lips from hers and trailed his down her jaw and neck. His teeth lightly bit at the sensitive skin on her neck, and his tongue soothed the bites. Violet arched her back to him and moaned. His kisses felt like fire, and she loved the burn. She could feel Tate's arousal pressing into her thigh, and she felt her entire body tingle with want. She wanted nothing more than for Tate to take her against this floor, and it was obvious that he wanted the same.

But… Violet remembered why she came over in the first place. She wanted to check on Tate and try and help him with his drug addiction. She pulled her away from him, causing Tate to make a whining sound when her body moved off of his lap. He looked at her, confused.

"Sorry…" Violet mumbled as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm down. "I want to… I do, but I need to tell you something."

"Okay?"

"I'm going to look up some NA meetings, and I want you to go with me." Violet spoke so quickly that Tate almost didn't understand her.

"For the drugs?" He asked.

"Yea… For the drugs."

Tate ran his fingers through his hair and then ran his hands over his face. "Oh… Kay. Um… Yea. I can do that."

Violet's eyes lit up. "Really?" She was nervous that he was going to get mad and yell at her.

"Yea, Vi. I hurt you when I was high, and I don't ever want to hurt you." Tate took her hands in his.

"You should never hurt the ones you love." She whispered while staring into his eyes.

"Exactly." Tate smiled at her. "I've never felt this way about someone before. You're the one, Violet."

Violet squeezed Tate's hands. "That's why I'm going to help you. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"Thank you." Tate murmured as he leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. The kiss was sweet and loving, unlike the rough, passionate kisses before. Tate kissed her lips, chin, cheeks, and ended with her nose. Violet scrunched up her nose at the childish sign of affection and giggled.

"I should go. It's getting late." She whispered. The darkness was black outside of Tate's window.

"Will you come over tomorrow?"

"Of course." Violet smiled and stood up.

…

When Violet got home she walked over to her desk and sat down. She leaned over and opened the bottom drawer, shuffling papers around until her fingers brushed over the leather cover of her journal. She placed it on the desk and opened it to a fresh page. In it she wrote:

_It's like you're screaming, and no one can hear. You almost feel ashamed that someone could be that important that without them, you feel like nothing. No one will ever understand how much it hurts. You feel hopeless; like nothing can save you, and when it's over, and it's gone... You almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back, so that you could have the good._


	10. Spill It

_**Thank you so so so much to everyone that reads and reviews this story! I read all of your reviews, and I am trying to reply to them! If I can't then please now that I love you! :)**_

Tate sighed and rubbed a hand over his face as he walked out of the community center. "That was rough." He mumbled under his breath. His mood instantly lightened when he felt a small hand wrap around his.

"It wasn't that bad. I think you did fine." Violet squeezed Tate's hand and smiled up at him.

"I couldn't even tell them why I was there. They would lock me up and throw away the key." Tate continued to walk into the parking lot towards his car.

"You know, you haven't even told me why you started doing drugs…" Violet gently tugged at his hand, hoping that he would spill his secrets. Tate moved to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for Violet. She looked up at him for a second before sighing and slipping into the seat.

Tate walked around to his side and moved into the driver seat. "Vi… I can't."

Violet turned in her seat so that she was facing him. "Why the fuck not?"

Tate shook his head and gripped tightly to the steering wheel. "You would think I'm insane…"

Violet grabbed one of Tate's hands and pulled it to her chest. Tate could feel her heart beating against the back of his hand. "Tate, I believed you when you told me you saw ghosts. I talk to one of those ghosts all of the time. I was attacked by the others in your basement, and look around… I'm still here. I've always believed you."

Tate smiled and felt a tear roll down his cheek. "How did I get so lucky to have someone like you in my life? You're the only thing that keeps me sane, Violet."

Violet brought Tate's hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "I love you, Tate. Just tell me what's going on with you. Please…"

Tate nodded his head. "Yea, okay, but not here."

…

The beach was practically deserted when Tate opened the car door for Violet before leading her down to the sand. He threw down a blanket that he kept in his car's trunk so that they wouldn't have to sit directly on the sand. Once they were seated, he wrapped an arm around Violet and pulled her close.

"I love it here. It's peaceful." Tate spoke in a serene voice. Violet nodded her head and rested it against his shoulder. She allowed the peaceful silence to go on for a few moments before she leaned back and began to question Tate again.

"Okay, so spill." Her eyes searched his dark ones.

Tate took a deep breath. "Do you remember when I told you that there are evil spirits in the house?"

Violet nodded her head. "Uh yea, they attacked me."

Tate shook his head. "No, those are just the ghosts. There are other… things in the house. I can't see them, but I hear them."

"You're hearing voices?"

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Violet shook her head and grabbed onto one of Tate's hands. "No! I believe you. What do the voices say?"

"They tell me to do things. Bad things. Like hurt people." Tate leaned his head down, looking at his lap.

Violet gasped when the realization hit her. "The guns… Were you going to shoot someone?"

Tate shook his head again. "Not someone… Everyone."

Tate looked up when Violet didn't reply. She was wide eyed and staring at him. "Are you scared now?" He asked her in a low voice.

"Would you have shot me?" He voice quivered as she asked.

"What? No! I would never hurt you, Violet."

"But… If the voices told you to…"

Tate squeezed her hand. "When you're around, the voices go away. It's like I can push them out of my head when I'm close to you."

"Why?"

Tate shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"And the drugs? Do they help too?"

Tate shook his head. "I thought they did. I had no other choice after you left. The voices were getting stronger, and I didn't know how to stop them. I made Nora so angry… She tried to help, but I just pushed her away. You saved me from myself, Violet."

Violet nodded her head and leaned it back against Tate's shoulder.

They sat like that in silence until the sun started to set over the breaking ocean waves.

…

"Do you want to come inside?"

Violet was pulled out of her thoughts by Tate's question. She looked around and noticed that they were already parked in Tate's driveway.

"Uh… What?" She had heard his voice but not the question.

Tate turned toward her and placed his hand on her knee. "Vi, is everything alright?"

Violet nodded her head and smiled. "Yea, Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Everything. You. Me. Everything that has happened."

Tate noticed the sadness in her eyes. "Does it make you upset?"

Violet shrugged her shoulders. "It's just a lot to take in. I was thinking what we would be like if we were normal…"

"Us? Normal?"

Violet laughed. "I didn't say I liked the idea. I was just considering it."

"And what's the verdict?"

Violet smiled and leaned closer to Tate. "I like you, just the way you are. Crazy ghosts and voices included." Tate smiled and laughed as one of his arms pulled her close to him, and he kissed her on her lips. Violet moaned into the kiss and tried to get closer to him, but that was almost impossible in his car.

"Do you want to come inside?" Tate asked again as his words mumbled over Violet's lips. Violet nodded her head quickly, and Tate jumped out of the car to open her door for her.

They tumbled through the door as their lips attacked each other. Violet pulled her mouth away from Tate, trying to ask him something but was stopped short as his lips found her neck. She moaned and arched her back towards him. Tate wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.

"Tate… Tate. Stop. Someone might see us." Violet tried to pull his face away from her neck, but Tate shook his head and spoke against her cool skin.

"No one's home. Left this morning. Be back later." Between every phrase, Tate made marks on Violet's skin with his lips. Violet tangled her fingers into his blonde curls and leaned her head backward, giving him better access.

"Upstairs?" He whispered into her ear. Violet nodded her head and unwrapped her legs from around Tate. He took her hand and led her to his room. The walk up the stairs and down the hallway seemed to last for forever to Violet. She was starting to get nervous. She knew that she shouldn't be but she couldn't help the feeling she had in her stomach. She tried to take quiet deep breathes so that Tate wouldn't notice.

Tate pulled her close once they were in his room. He could feel her shaking slightly. "Vi, are you okay?"

Violet nodded her head and came up with a lame excuse. "Yea, just… cold." She tried to smile up at Tate, but it came out looking forced. Tate raised an eyebrow at her.

"You sure?"

Violet nodded again before wrapping her arms around Tate's neck. She was mentally convincing herself that she had no reason to be nervous. They had done this before, and they both had enjoyed themselves. Tate had seen every part of her, and she had nothing to hide. She mentally kicked herself for acting so childish and turned her attention back to Tate.

"I know a way we can warm you up." Tate wiggled his eyebrows at her, teasing her. Violet played along. "Oh?" She questioned as she smirked at him. Violet closed her eyes as Tate leaned in close to her, expecting him to kiss her. His lips moved past hers and stopped at her ear.

"Keep your eyes closed." He whispered as his arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the floor, bridal style. Violet made a squeaking noise because she was taken by surprise. She kept her eyes closed and leaned her head against Tate's shoulder as he carried her somewhere. They didn't walk far before he set her back down on her feet.

"Take a shower with me." He whispered in her ear, and Violet shivered at the low tone of his voice. "You can open your eyes." She slowly lifted her eyelids and looked around the bathroom. If she thought she was nervous before, she was way past that now. She started to shake again.

Tate stood behind her and ran his hands up and down her arms, feeling the goose bumps that covered her pale skin. "Are you nervous?" He asked. Violet had no idea how he did it. How did he know exactly what she was thinking? She took a deep breath, turned around to face him, and nodded her head. Tate smiled down at her. "It's okay. I love you, Violet. You don't have to be nervous with me."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm nervous." Her cheeks blushed red. Tate pulled her body to his and kissed her forehead. Violet pressed her cheek against his chest.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

Violet leaned back and shook her head. "No, I want to. I do." She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips against his. Tate instantly responded by wrapping his arms around her small frame. His fingers dipped under the edge of her sweater and began to pull it up and over her head. His looked down and noticed that she was also wearing a long sleeved shirt and a tank top.

"So many layers." Tate growled at her. Violet laughed and pulled off both of her tops at once. Tate smiled. "Much better." He leaned forward, moving to kiss her neck, but Violet put her hands against his chest.

"You have too many clothes on." She said as her hands moved to rid him of his shirt. Tate helped her get it over his head because their height difference made it a difficult task for her. Violet ran her hands down his chest before she started to unbutton his jeans. Tate's hands moved to unclasp her bra as she undid the zipper on his jeans. She helped Tate slide her bra off her shoulders before she pulled down his pants and boxers in one motion.

"No fair." Tate teased as he was standing completely naked in front of her, and she was still half way clothed. Violet smirked at him because she had the upper hand for once. Tate smirked back at her as his hands gripped her hips. He dipped his fingers into the waistband of her skirt and pulled it down, dragging her leggings and underwear down as well. "That's better." He smiled as she was now just as naked as he was.

Tate kissed Violet quickly before moving around her and turning the shower on. Violet followed him with her eyes. She watched as Tate stepped over the edge of the tub. He extended his hand to her. "Come here."

Tate took Violet's hand and helped her step into the tub before pulling the shower curtain around them. The cascading water from the shower head fell in the space between their bodies and burned their joined hands. "Is the water too hot?" Tate asked. He liked to take hot showers, but he wanted to make sure that Violet was comfortable.

"No. I like hot showers." Tate smiled at her words, once again realizing how similar they were to each other. His lips found hers in a heated kiss. He gently pushed her back against the cold wall, making her gasp. Tate trailed his lips down her neck to her chest. Violet moaned as Tate's mouth found her breasts. He paid attention to both of them before trailing his mouth down her stomach. He moved so that he was kneeling in front of her.

Tate smirked when he saw how wet Violet was. "God, Vi… I love how wet I make you." Violet blushed at his words. Tate smiled at her reaction before turning his attention back to her need. His hands slowly slid up her thighs and parted her legs. He kissed up the inside of one of her thighs, stopping right before he reached her core. Violet's hips moved up, trying to get him to touch her. "Patience, Vi, is a virtue."

"Fuck virtues." Violet growled and moved her hips again. Tate laughed at her harsh words before placing a kiss right over her bundle of nerves. Violet gasped at the contact.

"Is this what you want, Vi?" Tate teased her with his words. His lips hovered over her core, close enough that she could feel his breath on her. Violet whimpered.

"Don't tease." She pleaded with him. Tate stood up and kissed her roughly on her mouth before pulling away.

"I love it when you beg. It shows me how much you want me." He kneeled back down to the floor of the shower. The hot water was running down his back, keeping him warm. He didn't know if Violet was shivering because she wanted him so badly or because she was leaning against the cold wall.

Violet moaned loudly as Tate's mouth returned to her core. His tongue moved through her folds, causing Violet to buck her hips in the hopes of getting closer to him. Tate placed one hand on her hip as his other hand moved up her thigh. Violet gasped when he inserted one finger into her. The uncomfortable feeling that she had the first time was not present now.

"Tate…" Violet moaned as he inserted another finger into her. Her hips were moving in time with his fingers. She could feel her climax stirring in her.

Tate could feel her walls tightening around his fingers. "Just let go, Vi." He increased this fingers' pace until she cried out his name. He stood and wrapped an arm around her before her knees could buckle. Violet leaned her forehead against his shoulder, shaking from the intensity of her orgasm. She couldn't feel her legs and was thankful that Tate was holding her up.

Once Violet could think clearly again, she noticed that she could feel Tate's arousal pressing against her stomach. She ran one of her hands down his side before moving to wrap it around his member. Tate moaned at the feeling of her lighting stroking him. Violet looked up at his face and smiled when she saw his pleasurable look. She started placing kisses along his chest, just like he did to her before moving down into a kneeling position in front of him.

Tate's eyes grew wide as he watched her kneel in front of him. He watched as the water cascaded down the back of her head, turning her blonde hair dark. He watched as the water ran down the pale skin of her back before rolling over her bottom.

"I'm not really sure what to do." Violet blushed again as she looked up at him.

"You… You don't have to if you don't want to." Tate stuttered. He wanted her to take him into her mouth more than anything at that moment, but he didn't want her to do something because she felt like she had to.

Violet rolled her eyes and ignored his words. She wrapped her hand around the base of him before taking his tip into her mouth. The strangled noise that came out of Tate's mouth told her that she was definitely doing something right. She took as much of him into her mouth before slowly starting to moved her mouth back and forth. Tate moaned when she ran her tongue along the bottom of his length. He could feel himself coming close to his end.

"Damn, Vi… Vi. Stop." Tate groaned. Violet pulled her mouth away from him, making a popping noise. Tate pulled her into a standing position.

"Did I do something wrong?" Violet asked, confused as to why he made her stop.

Tate laughed and shook his head. "No. I just didn't want to surprise you by coming in your mouth."

"What if that is what I wanted you to do?" Violet countered his words with sarcasm. Tate raised an eyebrow at her. Violet smirked before taking his member into her hands again. She started to pump her hands quickly over him until Tate released his seed onto the floor of the bathtub. Violet smiled at herself, feeling accomplished.

"Fuck, Violet." Tate pulled her lips to his, kissing her roughly. He backed her up until their heads where directly under the water. Violet pulled away and laughed when it became impossible to breath under the water. "Want to move this to my bed?"

"Sure."

…

"Oh! Tate. Mm…" Violet gasped and moaned as Tate ran his hands along her body. Tate moved his mouth to hers before rolling them over so that she was straddling him. Violet rotated her hips against his, making him buck his hips upward towards hers. She pulled away before he could enter her.

"Tease!" Tate called out before grabbing Violet's hips and pulling her down onto him. They both moaned as their hips met again. Violet started to move up and down on him slowly, feeling him completely filling her up every time. She gasped loudly as he hit a spot deep within her that made her toes curls in pleasure.

"Violet… You feel so amazing." Tate moved so that he was sitting up facing her. He wrapped his arms around her back and kissed her fully on her red lips. He gently turned them over so that Violet was lying under him, never pulling out of her. He started to slowly thrust into her, feeling his climax getting close. Violet leaned her head into the pillow as she felt her release building inside of her. She was about to go over the edge when Tate's bedroom door flung open and crashed into the wall.

"What in the Lord's name is going on in here?"


	11. New Time

**1995 - 18/17**

Violet woke up to the blaring sound of her alarm clock. She groaned and rolled to one side of her bed before standing up and stretching. She looked out of her bedroom window, and her eyes immediately moved to look into Tate's window in the house across the street. Tate was standing in the window, waiting for her to look up at him. He smiled and waved as soon as their gazes met, and Violet mirrored his actions. This had become a daily routine for them, waking up and waiting by the window for the other. Tate pointed to his wrist to signal to Violet that they didn't have much time until they needed to leave for school. Violet nodded her head as her hands moved to grip the edge of her tank top. Tate raised his eyebrow when he saw her slowly start to pull her top off. Her movements stopped right before her breasts were displayed to anyone outside of her window. She winked at Tate before pulling her shirt back down and walking away from the window. Tate laughed and shook his head. _Oh yes, today was going to be fun_. Tate thought as he moved away from his window and started to get ready for school.

While he was getting ready, he was lost in his thoughts. The past year had been a crazy ride. Tate had hit his lowest point when he was consumed by the drugs and the voices. He had been in such a dark place that he thought he would never be able to get out of it. Everything changed when Violet came crashing back into his life. He didn't even want to think of what would have happened on the day that he planned to shoot up the school if Violet hadn't stopped him. She had saved him and so many others that day because of her bravery. Her strength was something that Tate craved, along with her light and her love. He only felt complete if he was near Violet. She was his entire world, and the last few months with her had been the best of his life.

They were happy, actually happy. Tate couldn't hear the voices anymore, and he no longer felt the pull of the darkness in the house. It was as if Violet pulled him into her light, and the darkness could no longer reach him. He was getting along with his mother and Larry, well as much as a teenager can get along with parental figures. He had mended his relationship with Nora and spent time with her whenever he wasn't with Violet.

Violet was also the happiest that she had been in a while. She was happy because she was in love with a guy that was perfect for her. Violet was so happy that Tate was in a good place and that he loved her as much as she loved him. She always had a smile on her face, something that Tate loved about her. She was getting along with her parents, and they had actually started to pay more attention to her. Her mother was pregnant and was expecting the baby in a few months. When Violet wasn't with Tate, she was helping her mother get ready for the new baby. Violet finally felt calm and safe and loved. Everything was perfect.

Violet made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She kissed both of her parents' cheeks before grabbing a water bottle and heading out the front door. Today was the first day of the new school year. Violet was starting her junior year, and Tate was starting his senior year. Violet was convinced that this year was going to be amazing, no matter what. She had done so well with her grades last year that she had study hall with the seniors, which meant that she would actually get to see Tate during the school day.

Violet knocked on the front door of the Langdon's house and waited patiently for someone to let her inside. She had stopped letting herself in after "the incident" that happened last year. Violet shook her head and laughed to herself when she remembered what Constance's face looked like when she had walked in on Violet and Tate "having a moment". That was the phrase that Constance used whenever the topic was brought up, which everyone knew it was for the best not to bring it up in front of Constance. Violet had been mortified when it happened, but now she and Tate just laughed about it. Constance however, was still upset about seeing her baby boy like that, but she never showed any aversion to Violet.

"Oh, good morning, sweet Violet. Are you excited for the first day of school?" Constance smiled and spoke in her southern twang.

Violet smiled in return and nodded her head. "Yea. I think this year is going to be a good one."

"As long as you keep my boy in line and on track to graduate, I'm sure this year will be just perfect."

"You know I try." Violet laughed and moved past Constance to walk up the stairs to Tate's room. She found him sitting on his bed, putting school supplies into his backpack.

"Hey." She walked over to him and stood in between his knees. She placed her hands on his shoulders and his hands instinctively moved to her hips.

"Good morning, beautiful." Tate smiled as Violet's lips touched his gently. "Am I going to get to see the rest of the show you were putting on, or rather taking off, for me this morning?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Violet laughed. "Maybe after school." She winked at him. Tate laughed and gently pushed Violet's hips backward, causing her to take a few steps back so that he could stand up from his bed.

"You ready for school?" Tate asked.

Violet nodded her head. "Are you?"

"I think so… Yea. Hey, Vi? I want to tell you something."

Violet tilted her head to one side. "Okay?"

Tate took her hands in his and looked directly into her eyes. "I want to make a promise to you. I promise that this year will be so good. I'm going to do better in school so that we can go off to university together after you graduate. And… I'm going to be so good to you."

"Tate, you already are good to me."

"But this year, I'm going to be better. I'm going to be everything that you need. I'm going to be someone that you can be proud of."

Violet took one of her hands from his and placed it against his cheek. "Can't you see that you already are those things to me? I love you, Tate. I love everything about who you are, right now." She smiled at him and closed her eyes as he leaned close to her and connected their lips. Violet moaned into the kiss and felt her heart skip a beat.

They both pulled away breathless. "Let's go to school." Tate said in a sarcastic, cheerful voice. Violet laughed and wrapped her arms around one of his.

"It's not going to be that bad."

…

So far the school day was going exactly as Violet had said, not that bad. School was school, and it was full of ignorant, annoying teenagers. They didn't bother Violet too much because she didn't pay them any attention, and they did the same to her. She enjoyed all of her classes, but she had been counting down until study hall. She was practically running to the library after her last class was over. She swept into the library and scanned the room, looking for Tate. She found him sitting at a table that was surrounded by tall bookshelves.

"Hey." She whispered as she moved to sit in the chair next to him. He looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at her. "What are you reading?"

"It's about birds."

"Birds?"

"Yea. I like birds."

Violet smiled at the innocence of his statement. "Why?"

Tate shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I like that they can fly away when things get to crazy."

"Do you wish that you could do that?"

Tate shook his head and smiled. "Not anymore. I have you to help me get through the crazy times." Violet smiled and leaned forward to place her lips against his. They broke apart when they heard someone clearing their throat.

"Now Miss Harmon and Mr. Langdon, if you two cannot behave yourselves in study hall, I will have to separate you." The librarian gave them a stern look before walking away. Violet placed her hand over her mouth to conceal her laughter. Tate gave her the same stern look that the librarian had which only made Violet laugh more. The librarian cleared his throat again, and Violet stopped laughing. "Sorry." She whispered before looking down at the table. She smiled slightly as she felt Tate's hand squeeze her knee.

…

Violet was lying under a large umbrella by the pool in her backyard.

"You know, insisting on lying out by the pool and then sitting in the shade in entire time kind of defeats the purpose of lying out by the pool." Tate teased her as he leaned over the side of the pool. Violet gasped when he flicked water on her.

"I don't like the sun. It burns me." She stuck out her bottom lip, pouting.

"You won't even get in the water with me?" Tate pouted back at her.

Violet shook her head. "Not if the sun is shining."

Tate raised one of his eyebrows. "What if the sun wasn't shining?"

"What? Like going swimming at night time?"

Tate nodded his head, and Violet shook her head again. "Oh no. Definitely not."

Tate noticed the nervous sound in her voice. "Vi, can you swim?"

Violet gasped. "Of course I can!"

"I can tell when you're lying, Vi. Did you ever learn how to swim?"

Violet looked down at her painted toes. She had painted them black earlier that day. She shook her head slightly. "I haven't gotten in the pool since the day you saved me when I fell in."

"The first day we met?" Tate asked surprised. She nodded her head slowly. She looked up when she saw Tate pull himself out of the pool. She shivered when his cold, wet body moved to sit next to her. Drops of water fell off of Tate and onto her skin.

"Let me teach you. Tonight, so the sun won't hurt you. I promise that I won't let you drown."

Violet sighed. "Fine."

Tate smiled and wrapped an arm around her, making Violet gasped and recoiled away from his wet embrace. He laughed and held her close to him. "Oh, this is going to be fun."


	12. Calm Before the Storm

"Get in the water!" Tate yelled at Violet and pointed at the pool water that he was waist deep in. Violet glared at him and put her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry, baby. _Please_ get in the water."

Tate watched as Violet shook her head and stayed where she was, safe on the concrete patio that surrounded the pool. Tate's eyes ran over her slim figure, admiring how much skin the small bikini showed off. Violet had told him that she had to borrow her mother's swim suit because she didn't even own one. The suit was bright red and was tied onto her body with strings. Tate had to coax her to take off her towel because the suit made her extremely self conscious. Now he was in the pool, and she was standing by the stairs, refusing to move any closer to the water.

Tate slowly waded through the water until he was standing in front of the stairs. Violet watched as he moved closer to her. Every step he took made Violet that much more nervous. She trusted Tate with her life, but she hated water. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood firmly on the ground.

Tate extended one of his hands out to Violet, and she stared at it. "Come on, Vi." Violet was already shaking when she slowly moved her arm and linked her hand with his. Taking his hand felt like giving her life over to Tate. She knew she was overreacting, but this was a huge deal to her. Facing one's fears is never an easy task.

Tate smiled when Violet grabbed his hand. He could feel her shaking, and he pulled her hand until her toes where on the edge of the concrete. He looked up at her and smiled, trying to ease her nerves. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, ever." Violet smiled shakily at his words and took a deep breath before stepping into the shallow water that flooded over the first step.

The water was a lot warmer than Violet had imagined. She stared down at the blue green color of the water, admiring how pretty the pool lights looked as their light danced through the water whenever she moved. She took another step, moving deeper into the water so that it splashed against the middle of her calves. Tate grabbed her other hand and placed them on his shoulders before his hands moved to rest of her waist. It looked like they were trying to slow dance. Violet was eye level with Tate because she was standing on the stairs. Tate smiled at her before leaning forward and kissing her nose. Violet scrunched up her nose and giggled at his innocent sign of affection.

"See, this isn't so bad." Tate spoke calmly. Violet nodded her head before taking another step down. This step was bigger than the others, and she gasped when the water splashed against her upper thighs and bottom. Tate laughed and pulled her close to him. "I'm proud of you." He whispered into her ear and he leaned down close to her. His lips trailed across the soft skin of her shoulders, causing Violet to shiver and bite her lip. She was so lost in the feeling of his lips on her skin that she didn't realize that Tate had been pulling her farther into the water until she felt it touch the underside of her breasts.

"Tate!" Violet tried to push him away and moved back to the shallow end, but Tate held her firmly to him.

"It's okay, Violet. I've got you." Tate bent down and wrapped one of his arms around the back of Violet's legs before picking her up so that only her back and bottom were touching the water.

"What are you doing?" Violet asked with wide eyes as Tate moved deeper into the pool until the water was hitting him in the middle of his chest. Violet wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders.

"First lesson, floating. All you have to do is let go of my shoulders and lean backward."

Violet looked at him like he was crazy and shook her head.

"Violet. I told you that nothing was going to happen to you. Don't you trust me?"

Violet took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course I do. Just don't let go."

"It's okay, Vi. I'm never going to let you go."

Violet reluctantly released her tight grip that she had on Tate's shoulders. She still held onto him with one hand as she slowly leaned back against the water. Tate kept one of his hands wrapped under her legs, but his other hand moved to rest under the middle of her back, holding her up in the water. He watched as Violet's hair fanned out in the water, surrounding her head like a halo. _My angel_. Tate smiled at the look on Violet's face.

"You're floating." He whispered and slowly moved in a circle. Violet smiled brightly as she felt the water moving around her. She couldn't believe that she was actually floating in the water and not sinking like a rock.

Within an hour, Tate had Violet treading water without any assistance from him. She still refused to go out in the deepest part of the pool, but she managed to get to a place where she couldn't touch the bottom. Tate whispered loving encouragements to her the entire time, telling her how proud he was of her for facing one of her fears.

Violet was currently swimming sloppily back and forth from one side of the pool to the other. Tate was leaning against one side of the pool, watching Violet with a smile on his face. He watched as she swam closer to him, and when she was close enough, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. Violet gasped as Tate threw her off her balance, and she clung tightly to him.

"Tate! I can't reach right here." She said in a panicked voice as her feet dangled beneath her.

"Just wrap your legs around my waist." Tate whispered huskily. His tone made Violet shiver, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, still holding on tightly to him. Tate was significantly taller than Violet and could stand on the bottom of the pool where they were. He spun them around and pressed Violet's back against the edge of the pool. Violet could feel Tate's arousal pressing into her core. He had been watching her the entire time she was swimming and getting more and more turned on by her in that little red bikini.

"Tate…" Violet moaned when his lips pressed against the sensitive part of her neck. She gasped when he pressed his hips into her. "What if my parents see us?"

Tate's lips hovered over her skin. "Live a little, Vi. It's not like we haven't been caught before." Violet playfully slapped his shoulder at his joke. Tate laughed before going back to kissing her neck. Violet let her head fall backward, giving Tate better access to her skin.

With the chance of getting caught playing in both of their minds, they both silently agreed that this time would be quick and fun. They hadn't been together in a few days, and both of them were more than ready. Tate's fingers quickly untied to sides of Violet's bikini bottoms and slipped his swim trunks down. He kissed her lips to smother the loud moan that escaped from her throat when he pushed into her. Violet couldn't hold in her moan. They had never had sex in this position before, and the feeling she got when Tate entered her was amazing. His thrusts were deep and slow paced at first. Both of them wanted to prolong the moment even though they knew they needed to be fast.

Tate held Violet to him with a hand on the small of her back, and his other hand grabbed the back of one of her knees and pulled her leg up so that it rested against his shoulder. This changing of position allowed Tate to push even deeper into Violet, and one of his thrusts made Violet almost cry out in pleasure.

"Tate!" She called out as each of his thrusts went deeper and deeper. Violet could feel her climax building inside of her. She held on tightly to Tate's shoulders as his thrusts became faster. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes tightly as her release started to rock through her body.

Tate couldn't take his eyes off of Violet. The way she leaned back gave him full sight access of her chest. He loved to watch her breasts bounce up and down in the same rhythm as his thrusts. His gaze moved to Violet's face when he heard her moan loudly. Watching her come was his favorite part. The way her eyes shut tightly and her mouth opened into an "O" shape made his release explode through him seconds after hers.

Tate pulled out of Violet and pulled her body close to his. He loved the way her body would shake every few seconds after she came. Violet buried her face into the crook of Tate's neck and placed gentle, loving kisses along his skin. Tate ran his hands up and down Violet's back, watching as the water around them moved back and forth.

"That was…" Violet couldn't finish her sentence because she honestly had no idea how to describe what had just happened.

Tate nodded his head. "I know."

Violet smiled and wrapped her arms tighter around Tate's shoulders. She didn't want to let go and end the moment that they were having. Her favorite part was always how they would hold each other when they were finished. It was when she felt loved and when she knew that she loved Tate with everything inside of her.

The moment ended all too soon when a car horn honked down the street, making both of them jump and pull away from each other. Tate grabbed Violet's bikini bottom from where it was floating in the water and handed it to her. Violet pulled it on as she moved to a place in the pool where her feet touched the bottom.

Tate watched her as she moved and wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have her in his life. If she had never moved here when they were young, his life would have been completely different. Hell, he might not even have a life right now. He could be dead like the spirits that haunted his house. But he wasn't, and it was because of Violet.

Violet turned around and noticed that Tate was staring at her with a goofy expression of happiness of his face. She tilted her head to one side and stared back at him until he snapped out of his thoughts and blushed when he realized that he had been caught. Tate moved closer to Violet and took her into his arms again.

His black eyes looked into her light brown ones. "Thank you." He whispered.

"For what?"

"For always being there to save me." Tate smiled.

Violet smiled up at him. "I love you, Tate." She meant it. She would always mean it.

"I love you too, Violet." Tate leaned down and placed a gentle kiss against her lips.

_This chapter was the calm before the storm. Ye have been warned… _O.o


	13. Distant and Cold Part 1

_So this was originally going to be a super long update, but I decided to break it into parts. Adds a little more intrigue to the story. Don't kill me, please. HaHa Here is Part 1 of the new update. _

**2 MONTHS LATER**

Violet groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, trying to somehow stop the uncomfortable feeling that she had in her stomach and chest. As soon as she was on her stomach, she felt the bile rise in her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand and jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before she spit up everything that she had eaten the previous day. She laid her arms against the toilet seat and rested her head against one arm, waiting to see if there was going to be another round.

Violet was taking deep, even breaths when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Oh baby girl, are you sick?" Violet looked up and saw her very pregnant mother standing in the door way. Vivien waddled over to Violet. She would have sat down beside her daughter, but there was no way for her to move that way with her huge belly.

"I'm okay, mom. I just don't feel well." Violet groaned again as she felt her stomach churn. She stared into the white bowl in front of her, willing herself not to vomit. She looked up when her mother moved over to the sink. Violet took in her mother's appearance. She was still very skinny except for her protruding belly. Violet stared at her mother's stomach before a realization hit her like a speeding train.

"Oh God!" Violet gasped before she spilled out her guts into the toilet again. She felt hot tears slide down her cheeks. _This can't be happening_. She frantically thought in her mind.

Vivien moved back to Violet. "What's wrong? Maybe we should take you to the doctor."

Violet pushed herself off of the floor and moved to wash her mouth out in the sink. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had dark bags under her eyes, and her cheeks were red and tear stained.

Violet turned to her mother, not being able to make eye contact with her. "I'm so sorry, mom."

…

Violet was sitting on the examining table at the doctor's office. She had her head in her hands, trying to hide the tears that were falling down her face. Vivien was not being as discrete with her emotions. She had been yelling at the doctor for the past few minutes. The doctor was trying to calm Vivien, and Violet was just wishing that she could wake up from this nightmare. _What am I going to do_?

"You do have options." The doctor finally got a full sentence in between Vivien's hysterics.

Violet looked up and shook her head. "No. I don't."

…

Violet was watching the trees zoom by through the car window as her mother was driving them back to the house.

"How are we going to tell your father? He is going to be devastated…" Vivien shook her head and refused to look at her daughter.

Violet shrugged her shoulders. How was she supposed to know what to do? She was only 17.

…

Violet ran up to her room and slammed her door shut. She collapsed onto her bed before screaming into her pillow. She could hear her parents yelling from downstairs. Her mother had waddled as fast as possible into the house when they had gotten home and started screaming to Ben about what had happened. Ben had completely lost it and had started yelling at Violet. Violet had yelled back at her parents before running up the stairs.

_This isn't real. I'm dreaming. Wake up. Please, wake up._

**ONE WEEK LATER**:

Violet hadn't been to school in a week. She had barely left her room. Her parents only spoke to her when absolutely necessary. They were both beyond the point of being upset, and their reactions made it even harder for Violet to cope with the news.

She hadn't spoken to Tate in a week, either. He had tried calling, but she wouldn't answer the phone. If her parents answered, they would make up some excuse and hang up the phone. None of the Harmons were ready to deal with what was happening.

Violet was currently lying on her bed with a book resting against one of her knees. She had read the same sentence over and over again without comprehending what it was saying. Her thoughts hadn't been clear and calm for the past week. She could barely move, let alone think.

She was more than surprised when she heard her bedroom door open and saw Tate standing in the doorway. She immediately moved her gaze down, not being able to look at him. He walked into the room and stood at the end of her bed.

"Violet…" His voice was quiet and full of hurt. Violet kept her eyes down. "Something's changed in you toward me. You're distant. Cold. And I don't know what I've done to make you not want to see me. I'm here because I want to know why you're acting like this. Did I do something wrong?"

Violet shook her head and finally looked up into Tate's black eyes. "Tate… It's not you. I love you so much. And I have been selfish because I love you. And I know how much you love me, but I can't only think of myself anymore. I'm scared, and I don't know what to do…"

Tate moved across the bed and wrapped Violet up in his arms. He felt her start to shake as sobs wracked through her body. "You're scaring me, Vi. What's wrong?"

Violet shook her head. "Please don't hate me."

Tate cupped Violet's face in his hands. "I could never hate you! I'll be here, beside you, for always."

Violet took a deep breath and looked into Tate's eyes. "Tate. I'm… I'm pregnant."

**TO BE CONTINUED… **

_Everyone that guessed it: Bravo. You are too smart for my stories… Right now. Plot twists are in your near future. O.o_

_And yes, Violet is acting really upset in this chapter, but she is a 17 year old girl that just found out she is pregnant. And her parents are freaking out, which is making everything worse. She is just scared. _


	14. Safe and Warm Part 2

_Here is the update! I tried to make it a long one. Thanks to the anon that gave me the idea for the bathroom/bedroom scene. _

Tate shook his head, trying to get the words to unscramble in his mind. _Did I just hallucinate_? Tate knitted his brows together in confusion. "What did you just say?"

Violet sucked in a ragged breath. "I'm pregnant, having a baby. Your baby."

Tate didn't move for a second, still trying to focus his thoughts. All of a sudden a huge smile broke out on his face. His dimples indented his cheeks. "Violet…"

Violet looked at him like he was a crazy person. "Why are you smiling?" She asked almost frantically. Maybe Tate had lost his mind when she told him. Tate surprised her by wrapping her tightly in his arms again, squeezing her and laughing cheerfully.

"You're pregnant… I'm going to be a dad. You're going to be a mom. Vi, we're having a baby!" Tate pulled back and pushed his lips against Violet's. He smiled against her lips. Violet pulled back and wanted to smack Tate across the face.

"Are you crazy? We're teenagers! How are we supposed to be parents?" Violet pushed Tate away from her and moved off the bed. She started pacing back and forth until Tate stood up and stopped her by grabbing her arms.

"Violet, I love you. I told you that I would be with you for always. I meant that."

"Tate… I'm scared." Violet looked up into his black eyes. Tate smiled at Violet and bent down to kiss her lips gently.

"It's going to be okay. We're going to be a family. We're going to be so much better parents then our own."

Violet didn't know how to react at Tate's positive response to the pregnancy, at first. She was shocked that he was so happy and excited. Most guys would have gone running out of the door in a matter of seconds, but not Tate. Violet was also shocked because her parents had been so upset, which made her upset, but Tate's happiness made her feel hopeful. Being around Tate was making her more accepting of the baby that was growing inside of her. _Maybe this can work. Tate loves me and I love him. This baby will be surrounded by love. We can do this._

Violet smiled up at Tate. "We're going to be a family. I love you, Tate." Tate smiled widely and pulled Violet tightly against him, pressing his lips to hers again. Violet reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. Tate moaned against Violet's lips.

"Come to my house… My parents aren't home for the weekend." He whispered against Violet's lips. She nodded her head before pulling his lips back to hers.

Tate laughed as he pulled his lips away. "Let's go." He grabbed Violet's hand and walked with her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Violet's parents stopped them.

"Now where do you think you are going, Violet?"

"I'm going to Tate's house…" Violet could see the anger and aversion of her parents' faces. She added a sarcastic comment before either of them could tell her no. "It's not like anything worse could happen." Her parents were so shocked from her comment that they didn't stop her as she pulled Tate out of the front door.

…

Tate and Violet were lying in the middle of his bed, side by side. They had been lying like that since they got to his room. Neither of them was talking because they didn't know what to say. The threat of change was hanging thickly in the room. Tate's thoughts were running through how he was going to tell Constance, whose house they were going to live in, and baby names. He was elated and more than willing to spend the rest of his life with Violet. Violet's thoughts were similar but held a small amount of fear and uncertainty. She was happy because Tate was happy. He was her rock, and she knew she could get through anything with him by her side. The only thing holding her back from being as elated as him was the fact that her parents were so upset. She feared that in the end, she would have to make the decision between her current family and her soon to be family.

Tate moved onto his side, propping his head up on his elbow and smiled at Violet. Violet turned her head and smiled back. "Let me hold you and love you for a while?" Tate whispered his question. Violet blushed and nodded her head slowly. Before she could comprehend what was happening, Tate had her in his arms and was carrying her to his bathroom. Tate placed her back down on her feet once they were inside the tiled room.

"Tate, what are we doing in here?" Violet questioned in confusion. Tate took her into his embrace and kissed her forehead.

"We're taking a bubble bath. Nora used to make me a bubble bath whenever I was upset or just needed to relax." Tate spoke as he turned on the tub facets and watched as the water began to rise in the marbled tub. He picked up a blue bottle and poured in a soap that smelled like lavender.

Violet thought that she would feel nervous because she was about to sit in a bathtub with Tate, naked, but she felt completely calm around him. She was no longer nervous of him seeing her completely exposed. She began to pull off her shirt as Tate started to undress himself. Once they were both undressed, Tate turned off the water and stepped into the tub. Violet watched as he slowly slid into the water before extending his hand out to her.

Tate watched as Violet slowly walked toward him. He couldn't think of anyone in this world that was more perfect than the woman standing in front of him. He helped her into the tub and laid her back so that her back was resting against his chest. Violet moaned at the heat of the water. She closed her eyes and rested her head against Tate's shoulder. Tate's hands moved through the water and ended on her shoulders. He massaged the tense knots that rested below Violet's skin.

Violet moaned again. "This is nice…" Her voice was low and quiet. "Can it always be just like this?"

Tate nodded his head and wrapped his arms around Violet's stomach. One of his palms rested against her stomach. He tried to imagine what she was going to look like with a pregnant belly. He smiled at the image, knowing that she would be as beautiful as ever. "It's always going to be like this. I promise, Vi."

Tate and Violet stayed in the tub until the water turned cold. Tate helped Violet out of the tub and dried her off with a towel. He wrapped a towel around her small frame and wrapped one around his waist before pulling Violet against him.

He looked down into Violet's light brown eyes. "I love you so much." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was full of passion and need. His arms went around her waist and pulled her up until only the tips of her toes were touching the floor. Violet wrapped her arms around Tate' shoulders and deepened the kiss by running her tongue along his bottom lip, asking for entry.

One of Tate's arms moved down Violet's body until it was under her knees. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to his room, never breaking the kiss. He gently laid her down on his bed, pulling her towel away from her body. Violet blushed as Tate's eyes ran over her naked form. "So beautiful." He murmured before ridding himself of his own towel and moving so that his body was hovering above Violet's.

Violet reached her hand up and placed it against Tate's cheek, running her thumb across his bottom lip. "I love you, Tate." She smiled at him and felt a tear drip from one of her eyes. Tate got a worried look on his face and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"Vi, why are you crying? Are you upset?" He asked, concerned.

Violet shook her head and laughed. "I'm not upset. I'm happy. I've never been this happy before." Tate smiled at her words and leaned his lips down to her soft ones again. This kiss was more urgent and needy. Violet placed her hands on Tate's back and pulled his body close to hers. "I need you. Please" She whispered against his lips. Tate nodded his head before trailing his lips down Violet's throat and chest. Violet arched her back as Tate's kisses moved over her breasts. She moaned when his teeth took one of her nipples between them as his tongue ran over the tip.

Tate's hands slowly moved up her quivering thighs before resting against her hot mound. Violet whimpered as one of his fingers dipped into her wet folds and between to circle her small bundle of nerves. Tate's caresses were gentle and left Violet shaking with need. Violet could feel her release building inside of her and right before she thought she was going to hit her high, Tate removed his hands from her. Violet whimpered at the loss of contact, and Tate leaned forward to smother her whimper with a searing kiss.

"Tate!" Violet gasped at Tate slowly pushed into her. He completely filled her up with every slow thrust. Violet's thighs were quivering from the pleasure. She had her hands on Tate's shoulders and her nails were digging into his pale skin.

Tate leaned his forehead against Violet's shoulder, biting his lip to keep from crying out every time he pushed himself inside of her. Violet was so tight around him, and he could feel his control starting to slip. Tate would never let himself finish before Violet, though. He made sure that his thrusts were slow and gentle, more comforting than just pleasurable. He wanted Violet to know and feel that he would always be with her.

Violet could feel her release building again, and she cried out when Tate hit a spot inside of her that sent her over the edge. The fire inside of her burned through her veins. She held on tightly to Tate as her body shook. Tate came right after Violet as he watched her face contort into a look of pure pleasure. He pressed his lips to hers again, releasing his energy into the kiss and himself into Violet.

Tate rolled off of Violet and pulled her body against his side. She rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart racing under his skin. She smiled contently. She felt safe and loved. Those were the only feelings she ever wanted to feel ever again.

After both of their bodies calmed down, Tate sat up against the head board of his bed and pulled Violet up against him so that her back was resting against his chest. One of his hands was intertwined with one of hers, and his other hand was sprawled out across her flat stomach. The feeling of his hand on Violet's stomach was so loving.

Tate kissed Violet's forehead. "What names do you like for a girl?" He asked.

Violet laughed softly. "Oh, so you've decided that it's a girl?"

Tate nodded and ran his hand across Violet's belly. "A beautiful girl just like her mother. I like the name Emily."

Violet smiled. "I like that name, too."

…

Violet had left Tate sleeping in his bed and had walked down the hallway to the bathroom. On her way back to his room she felt a presence behind her and turned around to find herself face to face with Nora. Nora had a bright smile on her face, and she pulled Violet into a hug.

"Oh my sweet child, you're pregnant!"

Violet pulled away from Nora and looked confused. "How did you…?"

Nora laughed. "Darling, I'm a ghost. I can sense the baby inside of you. How exciting is this? We haven't had a baby in this house in so long. You and Tate are going to make great parents. You both just have so much love to give."

Violet smiled at the older woman that never aged. "Thanks, Nora." Violet almost turned to walk away but stopped when an idea popped into her head. "Nora?"

Nora looked up and smiled. "Yes, dear?"

"Well… You've always been the motherly figure in Tate's life, and you took care of him so well. I was wondering if… I mean I'm not religious, and I don't know how the actual process works… But, would you want to be the baby's Godmother?"

Nora gasped and felt tears well up in her eyes. She took Violet into a bone crushing hug. "Oh, Violet! I've never wanted anything more. Thank you!"

Nora squeezed her tightly one more time before saying that she had to go spread the news and disappeared right in front of Violet's eyes. Violet felt another presence behind her and then felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. "That was a really nice thing to do." Tate whispered into Violet's ear.

"I know how much she means to you, and she is a good person. She deserves some happiness in her existence."

Tate moved so that he was standing in front of Violet. "How did I get lucky enough to be able to have you in my life?"

Violet smiled before standing on the tips of her toes and placing a gentle kiss against Tate's lips. "I ask myself the same question all of the time. You are too good to me."

…

Violet and Tate were sitting at the kitchen counter when Constance and Larry walked into the room. Constance stared at Violet before getting an angry look on her face. Larry noticed the look and took hold of Constance's arm before she could lunge at Violet.

"You little whore!" Constance yelled at Violet. Violet jumped backward and Tate moved in front of her, blocking her from his mother.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Tate yelled at Constance.

"Don't speak to me that way you worthless child! You got that girl pregnant!"

Violet watched as Tate and Constance yelled back and forth and Larry tried to play referee. All of a sudden she felt a stab in her stomach and felt her brain get foggy. She gripped onto the edge of the kitchen counter to keep herself from falling to the floor. She felt another stab and cried out as her hand moved to her stomach.

"Tate!"

Tate was at her side in a second and wrapped his arms around her. He carried her into the living room and laid her down on the couch. "Mom, call the doctor. Now!" Tate called out to his mother. He looked down at Violet and felt helpless as he saw the look of pain and fear on her face. He wiped her hair out of her face. "It's going to be okay, baby. Just relax and breathe." Violet leaned into his hand and cried.

…

Violet squinted her eyes as the doctor flashed a bright light across them. "Well everything looks fine. I believe that you got too worked up from stress, and you were on the verge of having a panic attack. Please try to stay calm and relaxed for the rest of the pregnancy. Stress is not good for the baby."

Violet nodded her head and loosened her tight grip on Tate's hand. She felt relief wash over her now that she knew nothing was wrong with the baby. She watched as Constance showed the doctor to the front door. Her gaze moved around the room. There was Tate sitting right beside her. Her parents were sitting across the room from her on another couch, and Larry was pacing back and forth next to the coffee table. No one was speaking. There was only the sound of Constance thanking the doctor and bidding him farewell. Violet saw Constance reenter the room out of the corner of her eye.

"Well at least everything is okay…" Vivien murmured more to herself and Ben than anyone else.

Constance snorted. "Yea, but what are we going to do now? These children can't have a baby. They're still babies."

Violet and Tate watched as the two sets of parents spoke about them as if they were not even in the room. Abortion and adoption were words that seemed to be thrown around by both sets. Finally Tate had had enough.

"Stop talking about us like we aren't in the room! This baby is ours. Mine and Violet's, and we're in love. We're going to be parents."

Constance laughed. "You can't be serious?"

"You're just too young!" Vivien exclaimed.

Tate shook his head. "We want to do this."

Violet looked up at her parents. "Please… I know I messed up, but I want to take responsibility for my consequences. Didn't you always tell me to be responsible for my own actions?"

Vivien and Ben looked at each other before nodding and turning towards the rest of the group. Ben spoke up. "Here is what we can do. I have been making a good amount of money lately. I can give you all the money that you two will need for the baby. You can stay here with Tate until after the baby is born, and then we can look into getting you all an apartment or small house. But! You have to graduate from high school. Deal?"

Tate and Violet nodded their heads. Tate looked up at Constance. "Can we stay here mom? Please? We have more than enough room."

Constance took a deep breath and looked at Larry. Larry smiled slightly and nodded his head. "Fine… Fine. You can stay here until you find a place."

…

**3 Months Later **

The past three months flew by. Violet had started homeschooling so that she could stay calm and not have to deal with the stress of going to school. Vivien had a healthy baby boy. Constance had started being nice to Violet. Nora was almost always by Violet's side, helping with everything and anything. Tate and Violet were happier than ever.

Violet was warm and comfortable. She had been dreaming about getting married to Tate. The wedding had been beautiful. She had been pulled from her dream right before she said "I do." She was awoken by the feeling of Tate's lips on her swollen belly. She was only 5 months pregnant, but since she was normally so small, she already had a huge belly. She giggled as Tate's lips trailed across her stomach. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Good morning, baby." Tate whispered.

"Are you talking to me or my belly?"

"Both." Tate had a cheeky smile on his face as he moved up and placed a kiss on Violet's lips. "How are you feeling today?"

Violet yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "I feel great, but really hungry."

Tate laughed and kissed her lips again. "Always hungry." He moved out of the bed and extended his arms out to Violet so that he could help her sit up and stand. "I'll go make breakfast. Meet me downstairs in a bit?" Violet nodded her head. Tate went downstairs, and Violet made her way to the bathroom.

She stood in front of the full length mirror for a while. Her hands rested on the bump of her belly. "Good morning, baby." She whispered as she gently pushed her fingers against her belly. She rubbed her hands along her stretched skin and smiled at her reflection. She loved the site of her big belly. She couldn't wait until she got to meet the little one that was inside.

Violet decided that she had been in the bathroom long enough and began to make her way down the hallway to the staircase. Violet felt a presence behind her as she was about to step on the first step of the staircase. She turned around, expecting to see Nora but was greeted by the vision of the doctor that she had seen once when she was attacked in the basement. She gasped and almost lost her balance when she jumped backward.

The doctor looked down at Violet's swollen belly. "Oh dear… I see the procedure didn't work. Don't worry, this will." He spoke in a monotone voice. Violet looked at him like he was a crazy person.

Before she could react, Violet felt the doctor's hands push against her. She felt the air rush past her as her body began to fall. The first stair she hit crushed into her side. Every stair after that pushed against her skin, muscle, and bone. She cried out and tried to find something to grab onto but couldn't find anything. She hit the bottom floor with a loud thud.

Tate had heard the ruckus and came running. He saw Violet lying on the ground. "No!" He cried as he ran to her side. "Violet, baby. Please."

The last thing Violet saw was Tate's tear stained face before the darkness covered her eyes.


	15. Hopelessly Lost

_**Here is the update. You might want to grab some tissues. Just remember that I love you, and I promise to give you a happy ending. **_

Violet could feel herself slowly coming back into a conscience state. The darkness was slowly fading away, and she started to hear strange noises around her. A loud beeping sound barged into her ears and filled her mind. She blinked her eyes slowly before opening them enough to see white light all around her.

"Vi? Vi, are you awake?" The voice sounded faint but familiar. She tried to open her eyes more but they felt so heavy. Her mouth and throat felt dry and scratchy. She tried to move her lips and make a sound but no sound would come out. "Don't try to talk, baby. Just relax." Violet felt a gentle hand sweep over her forehead before cupping her cheek. She finally found the strength to open her eyes completely, and she felt calm when she saw Tate sitting on the edge of the bed in front of her.

Tate smiled when Violet finally opened her eyes all the way and looked at him. "Hi, baby." He whispered, trying to keep his voice as calm and level as possible. He knew he had to be strong for her. He smiled at her and leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead. He sighed in relief now that she was awake. He had been a nervous wreck for the past few hours. He stared at her small frame. She had bruises all over her face, neck, and arms. He knew that more bruises covered the parts of her body that were not visible.

"Tate…" Violet coughed out his name and winced when pain shot through her body. The pain was so bad that she cried out. Tate instantly placed his hands on her shoulders to hold her down.

"Don't, Violet. You're going to pull out your stitches." Tate's voice started to quiver.

Violet didn't understand what he was talking about, but she couldn't find the strength to form the words to ask. She moved her arms slowly to her stomach. Her eyes grew wide when she felt that her stomach was smaller than usual. Tate tried to stop her hands before they reached her belly, but he wasn't fast enough. He looked down at her stomach and then up at her eyes, watching tears fill up in her eyes.

"Vi…" Tears filled his eyes as he spoke her name slowly.

"What happened?" Violet gritted her teeth as she whispered to Tate. Tate shook his head and tilted his head down as tears fell down his cheeks. Violet felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. Tate took a deep breath and wiped his tears away before looking up at Violet.

"Something happened. Something bad. And… The baby… She didn't make it." Tate sobbed out the words. His strength was completely gone for a second. He took another deep breath, trying to find some strength within him.

"She…" Violet felt sobs start to wrack through her body. The pain from her body shaking burned through her body, but she reveled in the stabbing pain. Tate wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. He held back his tears as he felt hers soak through his shirt. He whispered loving words in her ear as she fell apart in his embrace.

Tate held Violet for a while before her parents came into the hospital room to check on her. Tate kissed her before telling her that he would be back in a bit after she visited with her parents. As soon as he walked out of the room, he fell apart. He felt anguish and anger rip threw his body. He fell to his knees and let out a cry. He pounded his fists against the floor as his body shook violently. _Why did this happen_? He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.

…

Violet was lying in the hospital bed barely moving. Her parents had just left for the night because they had to get her brother home and into bed. Tate hadn't returned yet, so Violet was all alone. She barely had any thoughts in her head because the only thing she could think about was the baby that was no longer inside of her. It felt almost foreign not to have her baby girl resting in her stomach. She rested her hands against her stomach and winced as the stitches pulled. She couldn't cry anymore because there were no more tears left. She just stared up at the white ceiling, trying to wake up from the nightmare she must be in.

Violet turned her head slightly when she heard the door open. Tate walked inside and smiled slightly at her before moving to sit in the chair that was next to her bed. He took one of her hands in his, and she noticed that his knuckles were red and bloody.

"What happened to your hands?" She spoke quietly.

Tate looked down at his hands. "Oh… I didn't even notice… It's nothing." Tate didn't want to tell Violet that he had fallen apart in the hallway because he was going to be strong for her, no matter what.

"I'm sorry, Tate."

Tate looked up at her like she was crazy. "What are you talking about?"

"This is all my fault."

Tate jumped out of the chair he was sitting in and hovered over Violet, gently grabbing her shoulders. "What? Don't say that! None of this is your fault!" Tate pleaded with his words and his eyes. "This just happened… We're going to get past this. We weren't meant to be parents yet, but one day we will be. It's going to be okay."

Violet shook her head. "I want to believe you… So badly, but it hurts too much. I wanted this baby so badly, Tate."

Tate nodded and felt tears in his eyes again. "I know. I did too. I promise you, Vi, we're going to have so many kids one day that you won't know what to do. I promise."

"Deal." Violet smiled and let out a sob. Tate pulled her close to him again.

"I love you so much, Violet." He whispered into her ear. "Nothing could ever change that. Nothing."

…

Violet had been in the hospital for almost a week. She had been recovering from losing the baby and from the injuries she sustained from falling down the stairs. She had told everyone that she had tripped and fallen down the stairs, and everyone seemed to believe her. No one questioned the poor girl that had just lost her baby. Tate was the only one to know the truth about how she fell. When she told him that the doctor had pushed her, he went straight to Nora. He had been cruel and hateful because it had been her husband that hurt Violet. Tate had left Nora crying in the basement.

Violet was currently sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her feet and back forth. Today was finally the day that Tate got to take her home. She had healed a lot in the past few days, and she felt little physical pain. The only pain she felt now was emotional, but she had stopped crying as much. Whenever Tate was near her, she was strong enough.

Tate was standing next to Violet holding securely onto her hand. The doctor was explaining to both of them what had to be done to make sure that Violet was comfortable and safe at home. They both nodded along and wished that the doctor would hurry up and finish. Finally the nurse came in the room and helped Violet in a wheelchair before wheeling her out to Tate's car.

The ride home was quiet except for the slow songs that were playing through the radio. Tate was holding Violet's hand and could feel her trembling. "Are you okay?"

Violet nodded. Truthfully, she was terrified to go back into Tate's house. She didn't know if she was strong enough to be back in that house. Tate could sense her worry, and he squeezed her hand. "Don't worry." He smiled at her. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, again. I will always be with you." Violet nodded at his words and tried to calm down.

Tate let go of Violet's hand when he heard a song start to play on the radio. The song was fairly new, but Tate had heard it a few times. He moved to turn the volume up. "This song is my song to you, Vi. For always."

Violet closed her eyes and listened to the lyrics of the song:

_I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now_

_And all the roads we have to walk are winding_

_And all the lights that lead us there are blinding_

_There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how_

_Because maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me_

_And after all you're my wonderwall._

Violet smiled at the words. She turned her head towards Tate and watched as he sang along quietly to the song. "I love you." She whispered. Tate smiled and winked at her.

…

Tate pulled Violet close to his side. They were both lying in bed, getting ready to go to sleep. Tate was so happy to finally have Violet in his arms and in his bed again. It almost felt like everything was back to normal. Violet rested her head against his chest and sighed. She was happy to be with Tate, but she couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that she got from being in the house. Every time she looked around she thought about her baby, and those thoughts made her want to fall to the floor in tears. _This might be harder than I thought_. Violet pushed her thoughts away and squeezed her arms tighter around Tate.

Tate listened to Violet's breathing, noticing as it started to slow down. He felt relieved when she was finally asleep. He knew that she barely slept at the hospital. He stayed awake for a while, thinking about how his life had changed in a matter of seconds. Everything was different now, no matter how much he tried to pretend it was the same. He and Violet had lost something that they could never get back. He refused to let himself think about the negative things anymore. He was going to pull Violet through his and bring their lives back to the happy place that it was in before. He kissed Violet on the forehead and fell asleep to the sound of her slow, even breaths. At least she was alive and breathing. She was all he needed. _"I'd pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take."_


	16. Leaving on a Jet Plane

_**BEFORE you read this chapter, just keep in mind that I love all of you. I am so thankful that you all have stuck with me through the ups and downs of this story. PLEASE don't give up on me after this chapter. The fun is only beginning. I promise. Happy Endings are a promise in this story. **_

Tate woke up when Violet's body jerked roughly next to his, causing the bed to shake. He sat up quickly, turning to see what was wrong. Violet still had her eyes closed and was lost in a dream. She jerked again and cried out. Tate took her into his arms, shaking her so that she would wake up. Violet gasped and opened her eyes. She realized that she was dreaming and burst into tears, clinging tightly to Tate's arms.

"Shh… Baby, it's okay. I've got you. You're safe." Tate whispered and rubbed his hand up and down Violet's back, trying to stop her tears.

"It was so awful, Tate…" Violet cried against his chest.

Tate held her tighter. "It's over. Everything is okay."

Violet shook her head. "No, it's not."

Tate held Violet in his arms for what seemed like forever before she finally calmed down enough to be able to get out of bed and go to the bathroom. Tate told her that he would wait for her outside of the bathroom so that he would be close to her. Violet simply nodded her head and allowed him to lead her down the hallway.

Violet stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at herself. The last time she did this she had a big bump of a belly and was happier then ever. Now she felt like there was a piece of her missing. She rested her hands against her shallow belly and swallowed down a wave of tears that threatened to spill from her tired eyes. She heard something creak behind her and screamed loudly.

Tate could hear Violet's scream through the bathroom door, and he threw it open before running inside and taking Violet into his arms. She was shaking so violently that his body started to shake. "Vi, what's wrong?" Tate asked in a panic.

"I heard something." Violet's voice shook as much as her body. Tate looked around the room and saw nothing.

"There's nothing in here except us." Tate spoke in a calm voice to try to sooth Violet.

Violet shook her head and looked around frantically. "No, I heard something. I know I did."

"Why don't we go downstairs, and I'll make you some breakfast, okay?" Tate changed the subject as he took Violet's hands in his.

Violet looked around the bathroom one more time before nodding her head. _Maybe I'm losing my mind_…

…

Tate placed a plate in front of Violet that was full of warm food, and Violet felt her stomach cringe. She felt nauseous just looking at it. Tate noticed the look on her face and shook his head. "Remember what the doctor said? You've got to eat, Vi." Tate pushed the plate closer to her and handed her a fork. Violet took the fork and poked it around the food, moving bits of egg back and forth. Tate sighed. "God damn it, Violet. Don't make me have to feed you myself." Tate's tone made Violet jump, and he instantly felt bad for raising his voice.

"Tate?" An airy voice asked from behind Tate. Both Tate and Violet turned to look at the person standing in the doorway. It was Nora, and she had a sad look on her face. "Oh sweet girl. Violet. How are you? I've been so worried." Nora moved closer into the room, and Tate moved in front of Violet, stopping Nora in her tracks. "Oh Tate… I'm so sorry. I came to apologize to both of you for the trouble my late husband has caused." Nora sobbed at the end of her words and wrapped her arms around her body. "I feel so badly… That poor baby…"

Violet felt her heart break for the woman standing in the middle of the kitchen. "It's not your fault, Nora." She spoke in a quiet tone. Nora looked up at Violet's words, and Tate turned to look at her in disbelief. "Don't look at me that way, Tate. You know she had nothing to do with this. She wanted this baby as much as we did." Violet turned her attention back to Nora. "I don't blame you, Nora."

Nora smiled and moved closer, pushing Tate gently out of her way so that she could wrap her arms around Violet. "My sweet girl. You're one of the good ones, always believing the best in people. How lucky Tate is to have you." Violet smiled and relaxed into Nora's motherly embrace. "And believe me when I say that I made Charles pay. Oh did I ever. Let's just say that he will never be bothering you again, my dear."

"Thank you, Nora." Violet smiled at the woman and returned her embrace.

Nora nodded her head before kissing Violet's forehead and unwrapping the younger girl from her arms. She moved over to Tate and hugged him tightly from a moment. "I hope you forgive me, Tate. I couldn't stand it if you hated me for forever. You will always be my son. I love you."

Tate looked from Nora to Violet and back again. "I could never hate you, Nora. I love you, too." Nora smiled before turning and walking into the shadows of the house. Tate watched her until he couldn't see her anymore before turning back to Violet. "Eat, you stubborn little thing." He teased while pointing at her plate. Violet glared at Tate as she stuck her fork in her mouth, taking a bite of food.

…

Tate spent the rest of the day watching as Violet jumped at every little sound in the house. She couldn't rest because she was so nervous. Tate felt awful for what he was about to do, but he had reasoned that he had no other choice. He wanted Violet to get better and recover from the tragedy that they had gone through, and the only way for her to do that was to relax.

Violet was lying on the bed, and Tate was sitting in his desk chair when he decided now was the best time to talk to Violet. "Vi?" He asked and watched as she turned her head to look at him. "I think you should move back into your parents' house."

Violet stared at Tate in disbelief. She could have sworn that she heard him wrong because he would never want her to leave him. "What?" She asked through semi clinched teeth. She could feel her anger rising in her.

Tate held up his hands in surrender. "Don't get mad, Vi. It's just that I think it would be better for you to be in your parents' house. You hate it here. I can tell because you're so jumpy all of the time. You won't get better until you relax."

Violet sat up and moved to the end of the bed. "Tate, I'm trying!"

"I know! I know, but you wouldn't have to try at your house. You can just relax there."

Violet shook her head and felt hot tears run down her cheeks. "Are you tired of me? Do you not want me here anymore?"

Tate shook his head frantically and took her shaking hands into his. "No! I just want what's best for you!"

Violet ripped her hands away from Tate and stood up, walking towards the door before turning around and facing Tate. "You're what's best for me! Don't you get it? You're all I want! You're all I have!" She screamed at him and felt her stitches pull at her skin. It felt like her insides were ripping apart, but she stayed standing. Her anger gave her strength.

Tate stood up. "Violet, please calm down. I love you."

Violet glared at Tate. "Fuck you." She growled before turning on her heel and walking out of his room.

Tate moved to go after her, but Nora appeared by his side, taking his arm into her hands. "Don't make it worse, love. She needs to let out all of the anger that she has held in since the accident. Just let her be for a day or so and then go after her. Trust me." Tate nodded his head and started to sob. Nora took her son into her arms and held him tightly as he let out all of the hurt that he had held in while he was trying to be strong for Violet.

…

Violet had no idea what was waiting for her when she went back to her parents' house. She had no idea of the news that they were planning on sharing with her. She had no idea that her entire world was going to fall apart, again.

Everything had fallen apart, and Violet had never felt the urge to kill herself more than she did while she sat in the middle of her bed, twirling a razor blade between her fingers. She had been sitting on her bed for what felt like hours, just watching as the light gleamed against the razor. She raised the blade up against her blue veins that danced under her wrist, and was about to push the sharp edge into her skin when her bedroom door opened and Tate walked in.

Violet moved from her bed into a standing position and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

"I wanted… I needed to see you, to make sure that you're okay. I missed you, Vi." Tate moved closer to Violet, and she took a step backward.

"Well you're going to be missing me a lot soon." Her voice was cold.

Tate knitted his brows together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Violet laughed angrily. "What? You haven't heard? I'm leaving. My parents don't want me. They're shipping me off to my Aunt's in Florida."

"Florida? That's across the country. You can't be serious, Violet!"

"Dead serious. I leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What the fuck? Why didn't you tell me this? Just pack your stuff and come home with me." Tate watched as Violet shook her head.

"I can't. They already signed over my guardianship to my aunt. I'm not 18 yet, so I have no say in the matter."

Tate felt tears falling down his face, and he wondered why Violet was showing no emotion at all. "This can't be happening! Please, Violet…" He moved to wrap his arms around her, but Violet stopped him by holding up her arms.

"Don't, Tate. Please don't make this any harder." She voice quivered a little at her words.

"Violet, I…" Tate began to speak, but Violet stopped him.

"I said don't, Tate. Just… Just go away." Violet looked down at the floor. She was about to lose all of her strength, and she didn't want him to see her cry. She was still so angry at him, and she didn't care if she was being childish or irrational. She was still a fucking child.

Tate stared at Violet, crying openly in front of her. He felt his heart start to crumble in his chest. _Why are you doing this_? He wanted to yell that at Violet. He wanted to shake her until she was normal again. He wanted to turn back time and make everything okay again. But he couldn't… No one can change the past.

"Go. Away." Violet whispered before turning her back to Tate. She closed her eyes tightly to keep the tears from falling. She stood like that for a minute before the pain became unbearable, and she turned around so that she could wrap her arms around Tate and tell him how sorry she was. When she turned around all she saw was an empty space where Tate had been standing.

Violet fell to the floor, sobbing. "You couldn't save me this time."

_**PREVIEW: The next chapter jumps two years into the future to the year 1997. Tate will be 20 and Violet will be 19. Both will be in college. **_


	17. Life Changes

2 YEARS LATER – 1997 - Ages: 20/19

It had been two years, almost to the day, that Violet had literally flown out of Tate's life. He used to envy the birds because they could fly away when things got to crazy, but he never imagined that the love of his life would fly away without him. After she left, he had battled with himself not to fall into the darkness that seemed to surround him again now that his only light was gone. It had been a tough battle, but Nora was there by his side, helping him through it. She kept him from going back to the drugs. She kept him from trying to him kill on multiple occasions.

"Don't you dare think that I'm going to let you take the easy way out!" Nora had yelled at him the first time she found him trying to end his life. After that time, she had stayed by his side whenever he was in the house.

Nora had become the light in Tate's life. She always had a smile on her face and made it her only mission to keep him happy and sane. It was a tough job for the first few months, but she finally convinced him to start living his life again. Tate became determined to turn his life around and become someone that Violet would once again be proud to be with. He promised himself that after he fixed his life he would go searching for her.

Tate had changed in the past two years. He had buckled down on his school work and managed to graduate high school. He spent a year at community college, working on improving his grades. He had done so well at the college that he graduated with honors and had been accepted into a large university.

He had just finished packing the last box of his things into the moving truck. He turned around to look at the house that had kept him prisoner for so long. There were so many memories in that house, and he was almost sad to be leaving. He was devastated to be leaving Nora. She was standing on the edge of the property, watching him as he packed his life away.

"It's like I'm losing my son all over again…" She whispered as tears slowly slid down her cheeks. Tate walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. He had grown so much that he was now a head taller than her. He pushed his blonde curls away from his eyes so that he could look at her.

"Please don't cry, Nora. I promise to come back and visit when I can, and I will never forget you or the things that you've done for me. You've saved me some many times, and I will always be grateful for that. I love you. You'll always be my mom."

Nora let out a sob and wrapped hers arms tightly around Tate's torso. "Oh my sweet angel, I'm so proud of the man that you have become. You walk in the light now and always. I love you more than life itself. Go and have the amazing life that you have earned." She kissed him on the cheek and gave him one last hug before pushing him towards the truck.

Tate smiled at Nora one more time before climbing into the driver's seat of the moving truck and turned on the engine. He felt like his life was beginning again. He was getting a fresh start. Everything was new and different. He was nervous but excited. _Here goes everything. _He thought as he put the truck into drive and drove away from his old life.

…

Violet stared up at the large building in front of her. She couldn't believe that she was standing in the courtyard of one of the biggest universities in Florida. She couldn't believe that she had made it to this point. The past two years had been a rollercoaster ride, and she finally felt… Better.

When she first arrived in Florida, she barely spoke to anyone. She would occasionally answer her Aunt and Uncle's questions with whispered one word replies, but most of the time she was just a shell of a person. Her Aunt and Uncle never pushed her. They were afraid of her and her fragile state and tended to leave her alone. Violet didn't mind the solidarity. She wanted to be alone. She even contemplated ending her life multiple times, but every time she tried all she could think about was the baby girl that she lost. She finally came to terms that she would live her life to her fullest potential so that her daughter would be proud of her.

That was when Violet turned her life around. She spent her entire senior year studying and working hard to make excellent grades. Focusing only on school kept her mind off of things in her old life, like the boy that she had walked away from. She tried not to think of Tate. Every time her mind drifted to him, she felt her chest tighten and tears well up in her eyes. Thinking about him was only holding her back. Being focused paid off when she got her acceptance letter to the university. Now she was standing in front of the building where her first college class was.

Violet's eye scanned the campus, looking at the different mix of people that billowed around her. She swore that she would never get used to the "southern" accent that people spoke around her. She couldn't even understand what they were saying some times. She shook her head and laughed inwardly before starting to walk across the courtyard.

Violet was staring at her map, trying to find out exactly where her first class was when her shoulder collided into a solid object. Her books and map fell from her hands, and she gasped from shock. Her signature glare covered her face as she looked up to look at the person that pummeled into her. Her eyes grew wide and filled with tears when she looked into a pair of black eyes.

"T…Tate.?" She stammered as her entire body started shaking.


	18. Party

_So Violet's friend is based off of Emma Stone XD Enjoy!_

"Violet!" Tate exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Violet went stiff in his embrace, and Tate released her, giving her a confused look. He was so happy to see her, and she just looked pained. "Vi, what's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Violet shook her head and closed her eyes, opening them again to see if she had hallucinated him, but Tate was still standing in front of her. Her eyes took in his appearance. He had grown a few inches taller and looked more toned and older. He had changed a lot from the 18 year old that she left in California. He still had his signature curly blonde hair and dimple on his cheek, though.

"Tate…" His name felt familiar but foreign on her lips. She hadn't spoken it in so long. "What are you doing here?"

Tate's eyes took in Violet's appearance. She had changed so much in the two years that she had been away that he might not have recognized her if he hadn't bumped into her. Her hair was longer, almost to the middle of her back, and she wore it in loose curls instead of the straight style she wore before. She hadn't gotten any taller so Tate loomed over her, but she had filled out more. She was no longer the teeny tiny teenager that he remembered. She had curves that filled out her hips and gave her a waist. He also noticed, only for a short second, that her breasts were more filled out. He met her gaze again and tried to smile, but her resilience was making him nervous.

"I transferred here."

"Why?"

"It's a long story, and I would love to take you out for dinner and catch up with you."

Violet shook her head and felt tears well up in her eyes. This was just too much too fast. Her entire past was crashing into her new life. "I'm sorry." She fumbled. "I have to go." She grabbed her things and scrambled away from him.

Tate watched as Violet couldn't get away from him fast enough. He sighed. He knew that coming back into her life wasn't going to be easy. He knew that ever since he decided to transfer to Florida after Violet's parents told him that she got accepted there. Transferring was his only idea on how to win her back, and he was not going to give up, no matter how "hard to get" she acted.

…

Violet made it to the bathroom and into a stall before she burst into tears, throwing her face into her hands. She didn't know what was going on. Did Tate really just show up out of the blue? How was this happening? Every feeling that she had let go of was currently flooding through her body, and it was becoming too much to handle. She tried to take deep breathes to calm herself down because her first class started soon.

"It's going to be okay." She whispered to herself, imagining that someone else was telling her that. Sometimes she wished that there was someone in her life that was there to pick her up. Tate used to be that person… Violet shook her head, trying to get Tate out of her mind. She couldn't deal with him right now, not on the first day of school.

Violet did have one friend. Her name was Charlee. Violet had met her over the summer at a concert, and they instantly connected. They weren't super close because Charlee really liked to be social and go to parties, and that wasn't Violet's scene, but they had a lot in common other than that. Charlee went to university with Violet now and was in her first class. That was another reason why Violet needed to get control of herself. Charlee was not a fan of drama and didn't know how to deal with depressing emotions very well. Maybe Charlee wasn't the greatest friend, but Violet liked her anyways.

Violet cleaned herself up and made her way to the classroom.

"Bitch, where have you been?" Charlee called from across the room. "Thank god, I saved you a seat, or your ass would be sitting on the floor." Violet laughed and shook her head at her loud friend. She moved to sit next to her. Charlee was definitely beautiful, and all of the guys seemed to notice. Her flaming red hair also helped in attracting attention. People normally asked how quiet Violet was friends with someone that was so loud, in every way.

"So you're coming to the party tonight, right?" Charlee asked and shoved her shoulder against Violet's.

Violet raised an eyebrow. "There is already a party? It's the first day of school…"

"Uh, hello. It's the start of school party!" Charlee responded as if Violet was an idiot for not knowing that.

Violet shook her head. "I don't know, Char…"

"Oh! Come on, Vio! Pleasssssse." Charlee stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. "Just this once."

Violet sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument. She also didn't want to have to deal with Charlee nagging her in their apartment. "Fine. Just this once."

Charlee squealed and clapped her hands. "We're going to have so much fun!"

…

"I'm not going out in public like this!" Violet shook her head and moved to undress herself.

"Would you trust me? You look hot!" Charlee swatted at Violet's hands.

Violet shook her head and turned to look back into the mirror. "I look ridiculous." The girl in the reflection looked nothing like her. She was wearing a light blue button up top that was tucked into a short black skirt. Black tights and heels finished the outfit.

Charlee walked up behind her and looped one of her curls around her fingers, tugging it and watching it bounce. "You look amazing. Blue looks really nice one you. Just let loose tonight, Vio. Have a little fun for once."

Violet snorted at the word "fun". She didn't think she even remembered what it meant. "Ah, fuck it! Fine. Let's go." She grabbed her clutch bag and followed Charlee out of the apartment.

They ended up at a huge house that was crawling with drunken college students. Violet weaved her way through the masses, barely missing getting vomited on multiple times. She ended up standing in a corner of the room, watching as people grinded against each other in beat with the music. She spotted Charlee surrounded by guys on the opposite side of the room. Violet had never felt like more of an outcast.

She did a double take when her eyes caught a glimpse of blonde curls. The second time she looked she saw his full face. Tate was standing by the bar, nonchalantly talking to the guy serving drinks. Violet stood there staring, and Tate's gaze connected with hers when he turned around. He stopped, holding a drink in his hand and smiled at her. Violet tore her gaze away, debating on the best way to get out of the house. From the looks of it, she wasn't going to be able to leave unless she started crawling over people.

Tate had made his way through the sloppy crowd while Violet was lost in her thoughts. "Hey…" He spoke cautiously, not wanting to startle her like he did earlier that day. "Are you having fun?"

Violet pulled herself from her thoughts and shot Tate a glare. "Oh yea, tons." Her sarcasm bit through the tense air between them.

Tate had already had a few drinks in his system, and he chugged down the one he was holding before biting back a reply to her coldness. "You know what? I should be the one that is angry in this situation, but I'm not. I'm here, and I want you, all of you. I came here for you, Violet! Stop being a bitch." He growled the last word at her, immediately regretting the words as soon as they hung in the air between them.

Violet felt tears lap at her lashes again and turned her head away from him. "I can't believe you…" She whispered.

"What?"

Violet turned back to him with an outraged look on her face. "I can't believe you! I can't believe that you think you can just waltz back into my life and expect everything to be perfect again!"

"Well why not?" Tate yelled back at her. "We used to be happy…"

"Yea, used to be. I love you, Tate. I always will, but it just hurts too much. I'm sorry." Violet pushed her way past him and through the crowd of people, making her way to the bathroom. She pushed past the line and walked right in, locking the door behind her before she fell to her knees. Her sobs wracked through her body. "I can't do this…" She whispered.

Violet sat on the floor of the bathroom until she ran out of tears to cry, and someone banged against the door threatening to kick it in if she didn't come out. She wiped her eyes and stood up, making her way out of the bathroom. Her eyes saw a commotion going on outside, and she was about to ignore it until she saw that Tate was in the middle of the fight. She ran outside and pulled against his arm.

"Tate, stop!" She screamed as Tate's other fist connected with another guy's nose. Blood covered Tate's hand. "Tate, you're drunk. Let's go home, okay? Just stop, please." The begging in her voice when she said "please" stopped Tate in his tracks. He turned to look at her and felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Vi." He hung his head, feeling dizzy from the large amount of alcohol that was running through his body.

"It's okay. Let's just leave, okay? Come on." Violet wrapped one of Tate's arms around her shoulders and held onto him around his waist, leading him away from the party.

"I only live like a block or two away." Tate grumbled.

"Good. A little walking will help sober you up." Violet couldn't believe that this was how her night was ending.

…

"Sit down." Violet led Tate over to his couch. His apartment was small. It had a living room that was connected to the kitchen and a short hallway that led to a room that Violet guessed was his bedroom. She walked over to his sink and filled up a glass with cold water. "Drink."

"Thanks." Tate mumbled after he chugged down the water. He looked up at Violet, mesmerized by how she looked. "You look different, nice but different."

"Thank you?" Violet questioned.

Tate lifted a hand up to her. "Come sit with me."

Violet looked at his hand for a moment before placing her shaking one in his. He tugged at her until she was sitting beside him. He leaned close and rested his head against her shoulder, feeling her tense up again. "You smell good." He whispered as his heavy eye lids began to droop.

"Tate…" Violet spoke in an uneasy tone when Tate's hand rested against the top of her thigh.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Vi. I love you." His lips moved to the exposed skin of her neck and gently kissed her. Violet's eyes fluttered at the contact.

"Tate, you're drunk." She raised one of her hands to push his shoulder back, but he wouldn't budge.

"I've missed you so much. I dream about you every night. I dream about holding you, kissing you, touching you." His lips moved against her hot skin. Violet shivered. Her mind was starting to get foggy. She shook her head and pushed him away with more force before she completely lost her control. She couldn't let this happen. It would hurt her too much in the long run.

"I should go…" Violet stood up and moved to walked away from the couch, but Tate's grip on her wrist held her back.

"If you wanted to leave, you would've done it by now. You would have walked out the door as soon as you made sure I was okay."

"Tate, please… Don't do this."

"Do what?" Tate stood up now, looking down at her. "Show you how much I love you and have missed you? Make you feel good? I just want us back again."

Violet looked up at him and placed a hand against his cheek. "I just… I need time. It's different this time. We've changed. Please, just give me time."

Tate let go of his hold on her with that and let her walk out of his life yet again. He would give her as much time as she needed.

_**Don't panic, loves. Violet just needs to do some soul searching in the next chapter before she can be with Tate again. Just think, she went through such a traumatic experience, and now she has to rebuild her feelings for Tate. She is truly just afraid of hurting again. **_


	19. It's Been So Long

_This chapter is going to be like a movie on fast forward but end with a bang. Just letting you know incase you wonder why everything seems to be moving really fast. ^_^ _

Violet was sitting in the court yard the next morning with her face buried in a novel. She thought that reading would take her mind off of everything that had happened last night, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Tate. She shivered when she remembered how his lips felt against her skin. She had dreamt about those lips for the past two years.

Violet was pulled from her thoughts when someone sat down beside her. She looked up and was looking into a pair of black eyes.

"Hey, Vi…" Tate spoke in a quiet voice.

"Tate!" Violet practically yelled out his name, watching as he covered his ears and cursed.

"Fuck!"

Violet smirked. "I thought you might be hung over. That's what you get for trying to have drunken sex with me last night."

Tate shook his head and groaned. "I was so drunk. I'm sorry. I just… I missed you so much and couldn't control myself."

"That doesn't excuse what you did."

Tate looked up into Violet's eyes and took one of her hands in his. Violet's gaze moved to their linked hands. "Please, Vi. Let me make it up to you. Come to lunch with me. No strings, I promise. Just two… friends… Catching up."

Violet hesitated for a moment, knowing that it probably wasn't a good idea, but she couldn't avoid Tate for forever. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "Okay."

Tate smiled and stood up, waiting for Violet to stand up beside him before walking off in the direction of his car.

They ended up in a diner, sitting across from each other. Violet had a drink and a small order of fries in front of her, and Tate had a mountain of food in front of him.

"Hang overs make you hungry?" Violet teased as she watched Tate devour his food.

"Haven't eaten in a while. That's why I got so drunk last night." Tate mumbled with his mouth full of food.

Violet laughed and shook her head. "Well you seem to be molding perfectly into the college lifestyle."

Tate shrugged and swallowed what was in his mouth before locking his gaze with Violet's. "So Vi, tell me how you are. Or more like who you are now."

"I'm still me, Tate. I've just grown up a lot. The last two years… Have been a rollercoaster ride, and everything finally stopped spinning, and then you walked into my life again."

"You say that like it's a bad thing?"

Violet shook her head. "It's not, not at all. It's just… It was unexpected, and I didn't know how to handle it. I still don't really. Seeing you brings back so many great memories but also some really awful ones that I had suppressed."

Tate reached his hands forward and took hold of Violet's small, shaking hands. "I know, believe me, I do. But that's in the past. This can be a new beginning for us."

Violet smiled slightly. "I want it to be. I can't see myself with anyone but you. I haven't been with anyone… I don't want anyone but you. But I can't just jump back into this. I'm going to need you to let me ease back into it. Like if we were strangers right now."

Tate smiled. "I can do that. I will do anything to be with you again."

Violet squeezed Tate's hands before letting them go. "Hi. I'm Violet."

"I'm Tate. It's nice to meet you. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Violet smiled brightly. "Maybe once or twice."

Tate laughed. "Now I know we just met, but would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?"

"Sure. I would like that."

…

Violet and Tate went out every night for the next week, always doing something that a couple would do if they just started getting to know each other. Tate hadn't even tried to kiss Violet because he wanted to take things as slow as she needed.

Violet was standing in front of the mirror outside of her bedroom making sure that she looked okay.

"Are you going out again with your lover boy?" Charlee walked up behind Violet.

"Yes."

"Well it's been over a week, you know what that means?"

Violet turned around and gave Charlee and confused look.

Charlee laughed. "Oh Vi, I love how naïve you are to the ways of dating. You've been going out for a week. That means that there should be some kissing in your future, aka tonight."

Violet raised her eyebrows in surprise. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about kissing Tate every time they were together. No, she thought about it all of the time, but she was nervous. She had almost given herself to Tate the night he was drunk. It took all of her strength to walk out of his place.

"I guess…" She spoke quietly while walking into her room to grab her bag.

Charlee grabbed her by her arms when she walked into the living room. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She winked at Violet before slapping her on the butt and pushing her towards the door.

…

Tate and Violet ended up at the park, laying on a blanket and staring up at the stars that glittered the night sky.

"I've never seen so many stars. You can't see any in LA." Tate murmured quietly. He smiled when he felt Violet's fingers intertwine with his. He was going to let her keep the pace on the relationship because he didn't want to push her. Just holding hands made his heart swell and a feeling of complete content flooded through his body.

Violet turned on her side, releasing her fingers from Tate's so that she could prop herself up on her elbow. Her eyes scanned over his face, noticing his faint smile. She tentatively placed her other hand on his chest. Tate turned his head to look into her eyes.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hi." He whispered back.

Violet had so many things she wanted to say to Tate… _I love you. I want you. I need you…_ But none of the words would come out of her mouth. She had no idea that it would take such a short amount of time for her to fall back in love with him.

"Vi?" Tate whispered and moved to sit up, but Violet gently pushed his chest down before moving her fingers over his lips.

"Shh…" She murmured as she leaned over him and captured his lips with hers.

Tate moaned at the contact, having thought about this for so long. He could have sworn that kissing her had never felt this amazing. Just the slight pressure of her lips sent shock waves through him. Violet was feeling that same way. She got so lost in the feeling of his lips that her arms gave out, and she fell against Tate's chest. His arms instantly wrapped tightly around her. Violet ran her fingers along Tate's cheekbones.

They both pulled away when the lack of air became painful. Their lips were only about a centimeter apart, far enough so that they could take heavy breaths. Violet looked into Tate's dark eyes, seeing a look that she had seen before and knowing that her eyes probably looked the same.

"Tate, I…" She took a few shallow breaths while trying to figure out how to say what she needed to tell him. "Please." The word came out sounding more like a whimper. "I just… Fuck. I just need you. Okay?"

Tate smiled and ran his fingers through her long hair. "Are you sure?"

Violet nodded. "Yes. I don't want to wait any longer. But… Can you go slow? I haven't done this in a while." Her cheeks blushed pink.

Tate moved to sit up so that he held Violet in his lap. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He kissed her lips quickly before standing up with her in his arms. "Do you want to go to my place?" Violet nodded.

…

Tate and Violet were lying naked on his bed. Their limbs were tangled together, and Tate was lavishing Violet with kisses all over her body. Violet couldn't stop the noises that were flowing from her parted lips, and they only encouraged Tate more. His fingers tickled down her side before sliding over her hip bone and resting against her hot core. Violet moaned loudly and pushed her hips forward.

"Please, Tate…" Her eyelids fluttered. "Touch me." Her voice was a faint whisper.

Tate kissed along her collarbone as his fingers dipped into her folds. She was soaking wet, and his fingers moved inside her with ease. "God.." Tate groaned against Violet's chest as her heat incased his fingers. He couldn't stop thinking of how she would feel stretched around his hard length. He kept wondering when he was going to wake up from this blissful dream.

"This has to be a dream." He murmured.

Violet pulled his chin up with her fingers. "This is definitely not a dream." She kissed his lips, moaning into them as he added another finger into her heat. "Oh, Tate…" Her moaning his name almost sent him over the edge.

"Vi, it's been so long… I don't know how much longer I can last." His cheeks burned from the heat that was rippling through his body.

"It's okay. I'm ready." Violet's words were breathy. She held onto Tate's upper arms while he positioned himself between her quivering thighs. She had been close to her release when he fingers were inside of her, so she knew she wouldn't last long either.

There was just one thing she wanted to do before he entered her. "Tate." Her voice sounded a bit frantic and stopped Tate completely. His eyes filled with concern, thinking that he had done something to upset her.

"What's wrong?"

Violet placed a hand against his cheek, smiling at him when she realixed that she had just scared him. "Nothing… This is perfect. I just want to tell you that… I love you." She felt a tear slid down her cheek.

Tate wiped her tear away before leaning down to press a gentle kiss on her red lips. "I love you, Violet, more than anything in this world. Always have, always will."

Violet smiled and pulled Tate's face closer to her, whispering in his ear. "Make love to me, Tate."

That was all Tate needed to hear before he slowly pushed his length into her heat. He moaned loudly as she stretched around him. Violet held on tightly to his shoulders as he filled her completely. He was a perfect fit. Tate moved slowly. His hips would rub against her sensitive bundles of nerves every time he pushed in. Violet was so tight around Tate that he could feel his release getting close.

Violet was so close to tipping over the edge. She wrapped her legs around Tate's waist to keep them from shaking so violently. "Oh, Tate…" She moaned his name over and over again. "I. Ah! Mmm…" Violet cried out as her climax shook her body. Her legs tightened around Tate, pulling him deep inside of her. Tate's body shook as his release came quickly after she pulled him deeper. His arms gave out from under him, and he collapsed onto Violet's chest. He moved to roll off of her so that he wouldn't crush her, but Violet held him tightly.

"Don't move." She moaned, still enjoying how it felt as her walls pulsed around his length. She moaned and kissed Tate's shoulder.

They laid wrapped in each other's warmth until their breathing returned to normal. Tate moved to Violet's side, and she whimpered at the lose of him being inside of her, feeling empty. She rested her head against his shoulder, listening to his heart beat.

"That was amazing, Violet." Tate murmured, lost in his thoughts of replaying everything that just happened. Violet was thinking about it as well, reliving every detail. Her eyes grew wide when one forgotten detail made her gasp. She shot up in the bed, gaping at Tate.

"What?" He asked frantically.

"Oh shit…" Violet shook her head and ran a hand over her face. "We… We didn't use a condom!" She yelled and jumped out of the bed. She started jumping up and down. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" She exclaimed after every jump.

Tate stared at her like she was a crazy person. "What are you doing?"

Violet continued to jump. "I heard somewhere that this can prevent pregnancy."

Tate laughed, and Violet glared at him. "I'm sorry, Vi, but that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Violet stopped jumping and placed her hands on her hips. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind watching your boobs bounce up and down, but I don't think it's doing any other good."

Violet sat down on the end of the bed. "Why are you acting so calm about this?"

Tate sat up and draped a blanket over her before moving to sit beside her. "Because I love you, and I'm not worried about having a baby."

"I am!" Violet started to cry. "I don't want a baby right now. I want to finish college, get married, and have a house before having a baby."

"Me too. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be upset if you were pregnant. I'm ready to start my life with you. We should buy a house. We should get married."

Violet stared wide eyed at Tate. "Did… Did you just ask me to marry you?" Her voice shook.

Tate smiled and leaned over to the bed side table, pulling out a small box. Violet felt her breath hitch in her throat. Tate opened the box and revealed a ring. It was a simple silver band that held a fairly large diamond in the setting.

"How did you?" Violet asked.

"I've had this ring for two years now. I bought it the day you left. I was going to give it to you when I went to see you. I've kept it with me all this time because I knew that I would find you again. You're the one. You're my soul mate."

Violet felt tears slip down her cheeks.

"And I know we said we would take it slow, but I have to ask. I love you so much, Violet. I want to make you happy. I want to give you everything that you could ever want and need. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"

Violet froze. She couldn't believe this was happening. She looked into Tate's eyes and saw his hopeful expression. "How can I say no? Of course I will. Yes. YesYesYes" Violet wrapped her arms around Tate and pushed her lips against his, laughing and smiling.

Tate pulled back and took her hand into his, slipping the ring on her finger. "Tate, this ring is so beautiful. Thank you."

"A beautiful ring for an even more beautiful woman."

"You are so corny!" Violet laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "But I love you."

Tate held onto her, smiling from ear to ear. He couldn't be happier. The woman he loved just promised to be his for forever.

"But I have one request, though." Violet looked into Tate's eyes. "We have to finish school and get our own place before we get married. Okay?"

Tate nodded his head. "I think I can agree to those terms. Just knowing that we will get married is enough for me right now."

"Mrs. Tate Langdon. Mrs. Langdon. Violet Langdon." Violet murmured the names as she ran her fingers through Tate's curly hair. Tate smiled and ran his fingers up and down her back.

_Ah, such a happy chapter. I think we all needed a happy one, don't you? The next chapter is going to skip a year or two into the future. Please let me know if you are still interested in this story, or if you are just bored with it. I personally love it to pieces. Thanks, loves. _


	20. Up and Down

_**This chapter shows a little look into Tate and Violet's relationship. They have been back together for 2 years. This shows how a couple of 2 years has their ups and downs. **_

_**1999 - Ages: 22/21**_

Violet was lying in her bed, wrapped up in the sheets. She lifted her left hand and smiled at the ring that was on her finger. She loved looking at it and knowing that she had someone in her life that loved her more than anything. That person just so happened to be lying next to her with his arm slung over her stomach. She turned her head to the side and kissed the tip of Tate's nose. He was still asleep, exhausted from their restless night. They hadn't seen each other in a few days because of their busy schedules, and they definitely made up for the lost time last night. Violet's roommate, Charlee, left in the middle of the night because she didn't want to hear them anymore. Violet made a mental note to apologize to her when she got home.

The past two years had flown by for Violet and Tate. Violet had moved into a house with Charlee, and Tate had moved into a house with his friend Gray and a few other guys. Violet had started working at a book store in town and was either there, with Tate, or studying. Lately, most of her time was spent working and studying. When Tate wasn't with Violet, he was studying or working at a local music store that was close to where Violet worked. School had become so demanding for both of them that their time spent together was rare and very precious.

Violet rolled over onto her stomach so that she could lean her chin against Tate's shoulder and trace the features of his face with her eyes. She had memorized every line and freckle years ago. She especially loved the little freckle on the tip of his nose.

"Mmm… What are you doing?" Tate asked as he opened his eyes a little and saw Violet staring at him.

"Watching you sleep." Violet whispered.

"That's creepy." Tate murmured as he tried to turn over on his side and go back to sleep. Violet stopped him by holding his shoulders down as she moved to straddle his hips.

"No, it's loving." She leaned forward and kissed the freckle on Tate's nose.

Tate shook his head. "Vi, I need sleep." He tipped her hips off of his until she was lying beside him again. "You're going to be the death of me." He murmured as he flipped over onto his stomach and buried his face into the pillow. Violet crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

She didn't move for a minute, sulking in her stubbornness. She smirked when an idea popped into her head and looked towards Tate again, noticing that he hadn't fallen back asleep yet.

"Fine. If you won't get me off then I will just do it myself." She spoke in a cocky tone and took notice of Tate moving his head a little, but he still was turned away from her. Violet threw the sheets off of her body before moving her hands up to her breasts. She moaned loudly as she kneaded and pulled at her nipples until they were hard. She licked two of her fingers and rolled one of her nipples between her them, moaning again and watching as Tate tilted his ear towards her. She ran one hand down her stomach and over her heated core.

"Oh." She gasped as her fingers slid over her wet folds. "Mmm…" She was moaning and gasping as much as possible because she knew that the noises were driving Tate crazy. She slipped a finger into her heat and began to move her hips in time with her finger.

"I'm so wet… Oh…" She looked at Tate and saw that his hips were slowly moving against the mattress. Violet increased the pace of her finger and added a second, moaning loudly. Tate turned his head so that he was looking at her, and Violet could see the lust in his eyes. She kept eye contact with him as her orgasm shook her body. She bit her lip and groaned, bucking her hips against her hand. Tate stared at her in wonder. He loved watching her face when she climaxed.

Tate was painfully hard and moved to grab Violet and pull her under him, but she moved out of his grasp and off of the bed. Tate stared at her in disbelief. Violet shrugged her shoulders and smirked at him.

"I'm not really in the mood anymore." She pulled her robe off of the chair next to her desk before walking to the door and turning to look at Tate. Her eyes moved down to his bulging arousal before moving back to his eyes. "You might want to take care of that." She teased before walking out of the bedroom.

…

Violet took a shower, got dressed, and was making breakfast when Tate finally emerged. He sat down at the kitchen counter. His hair was wet from the shower that he took after Violet. Violet turned around to smile at him, but he glared at her.

"What's wrong?" Violet said in a mocking sad voice.

Tate glared at her again and didn't respond. Violet frowned and moved to stand behind him. She placed her hands on his back, and he moved to shake them off. "Don't." He growled.

Violet walked to his side, taking his chin in her hand and making him look at her. "What's your problem, grumpy?"

Tate shook her hand off and moved to stand and walk to the other side of the counter. "Nothing." He mumbled as he grabbed the newspaper and reading the heading on the front page.

"Well if you're planning on being a dick today then maybe you shouldn't come to the party tonight."

Tate slammed the paper down on the table. "God damn it, Violet. Can't you ever just apologize?" He yelled at her. Violet didn't even flinch. She was used to this game they played. She always made him angry, he would get mad and yell, and she would apologize eventually.

"You" Violet pointed at him. "Were the one that didn't want to fuck me this morning!"

Tate threw his hands up in the air. "I spent the entire night inside of you! I'm sorry that I was tired!"

Violet laughed angrily. "Well then maybe you should stay home tonight and sleep!"

"What are you saying?"

"I don't want you here if you're going to be an ass the entire day! You're temper drives me crazy!"

Tate laughed angrily this time. "My temper? Please! You have a worse one then I do!"

Violet glared at him. "Get out." She spoke in a calm tone. Tate glared at her and opened his mouth to yell at her. Violet stopped him. "I said get out. Oh, and take this with you." Violet slipped the ring off her finger and threw it at Tate's head. This was also part of the game that they played. They would fight, she would throw him out, and she would always throw the ring at him. Tate had lost count how many times he had that ring thrown at his head.

Tate grabbed the ring off the floor and stormed out of the house.

…

Charlee had come back home to a spotless house. That could only mean one thing.

"What happened this time?" Charlee asked when she saw Violet sitting at the kitchen counter.

Violet shrugged her shoulders.

"Is Tate coming to the party tonight?"

Another shrug.

Charlee sighed and moved to sit in the stool next to the one Violet was sitting in. "Wanna talk about it? You two seemed very happy last night."

"Sorry about that…" Violet spoke in a quiet tone.

"It's okay. I ended up spending the night with Gray."

Violet looked up at Charlee with one eyebrow raised.

"Don't give me that look! Gray is a nice guy. I need a nice guy."

Violet chuckled. "He won't be nice after you get your hands on him."

Charlee laughed. "You're a bitch."

Violet nodded her head before putting it in her hands and sighing. Charlee rested a hand against Violet's shoulder.

"It will be okay, Violet. It always is. And just think, tonight we get to ring in the millennia. Maybe the world will really come to an end."

"Bullshit. The world isn't coming to an end."

Charlee shrugged her shoulders. "You never know. Now let's get ready for our party!" Charlee got up and pulled a reluctant Violet towards their rooms. "Party! Party!" She canted the entire way.

…

There were a ton of people in Violet and Charlee's house. Violet was standing in a corner, staring at the people that moved through the house. She didn't know most of them and wondered where they came from. The house was already completely trashed. Violet sighed and moved to walk into the kitchen when a pair of arms wrapped around her middle.

"I'm sorry." Tate whispered into her ear. Violet wanted to move out of his embrace. She wanted to still be mad at him, but she couldn't. This was always how the game ended. One of them would apologize when the distance became too much, and the other would instantly give in. Violet leaned back into Tate's embrace.

"Me too."

"It's almost midnight." Tate held Violet close as the people moved around them. Violet nodded her head before taking Tate's hand in hers and pulling him through the crowd. They went to her room and locked the door behind them.

"Finally, some quiet." Violet sighed and wrapped her arms around Tate, holding him tightly. "I'm so sorry." She mumbled into his chest.

"It's okay, baby. I love you. No matter what."

Violet looked up at Tate's black eyes. "I love you, too."

Tate leaned down and captured Violet's lips in a searing kiss. He pushed her back against the door, placing his arms on either side of her. Violet leaned back when she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Can I have my ring back?" She asked nervously. This was always the part of the game the she hated.

"Only if you promise to never take it off again. I'm serious, Violet. Don't ever fucking take it off again." Tate spoke in a serious tone.

"I promise. I swear." Violet whispered and held her hand out to Tate. Tate took the ring from his pocket and slid it onto her finger.

Tate pushed her back against the wall and pressed his body against hers. "Now I think you owe me something." He growled in her ear as his arousal pressed into her stomach.

Violet moaned and nodded her head.

They both stopped when they heard yelling from the living room. "TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Tate looked at Violet and smiled. "It's officially 2000."

"Yea." Violet smiled back. "And the world didn't come to an end."

"Nope." Tate chuckled. "That must mean that this year is going to be special."

Violet wrapped her arms around the back of Tate's neck. "Let's make it the best year, yet."

"Deal." Tate whispered before pressing his lips back to Violet's.

_**So the next chapter will probably skip into the future yet again. I haven't decided yet. XD**_


	21. Welcome Home

_**Year: 2001 Ages: 24/23**_

"Congratulations, Class of 2001!" The speaker at the ceremony rejoiced as the students stood and threw their graduation caps into the air and cheered. Violet and Tate were standing next to each other, smiling and cheering along with everyone else. Tate wrapped his arms around Violet's waist and spun her around in a circle before leaning over to Gray and slapping his hand in a high five. Violet hugged Charlee, and they both cheered.

Violet couldn't believe that they were all college graduates. Everything had changed so much, for the better. The four friends had moved to Boston and transferred to the university for their last year. They had all moved into a house together. Everything was going great. Charlee and Gray had been dating for a few months and were talking about getting a place together, somewhere warmer they both agreed. Tate and Violet were also happy and had stopped fighting as often. Violet had kept her promise to never take of her engagement ring.

Violet had graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Working at the bookstore had strengthened her want to become a writer. Tate had graduated with a bachelor's in English and psychology. Charlee had graduated with a bachelor's in fashion marketing, and Gray had barely managed to graduate at all.

Violet was pulled from her thoughts when Tate wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side.

Charlee smiled at her friends. "You two are coming to the party tonight, right?"

"Yea, but I have to take Violet somewhere first." Tate looked down at Violet and smiled. Violet looked back confused. "Don't worry, love. You're going to love it." He whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek. "Shall we?" He held out his hand to her, waving goodbye to Charlee and Gray as they walked to Tate's car.

Once they were seated in the car, Tate leaned over and pulled something out of the glove compartment. "Tate, is that a blindfold?" Violet asked, even more confused than before. Tate smirked.

"Yep. Now lean forward so that I can cover your eyes. I don't want you to see the surprise, yet." Violet rolled her eyes but leaned forward anyways. Tate smiled and gently tied to blindfold around Violet's eyes. Violet leaned back in the seat once she couldn't see and smiled when she felt Tate's hand wrap around hers.

"This better be a fucking amazing surprise." She mumbled.

Tate laughed. "Oh, it's a pretty big surprise."

Tate held Violet's hand for the entire car ride. His thumb drew circles against her palm, sending calming waves through her body. She loved the little gestures of affection that he showed. She got excited when the car finally stopped.

"We're here. Stay put." Tate spoke as he opened his car door, shut it, walked around to Violet's side, and opened her door. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her out of the car, setting her feet down on the sidewalk. He wrapped her arm around his and led her a few steps forward before moving behind her and removing her blindfold.

Violet was speechless as she stared at what was in front of her. She was standing in front of a house. A white house with blue shutters. It looked like it was 2 stories tall. It had a wrap around porch and a white fence that went around the yard. Violet just stood and stared for a minute.

She turned to look at Tate, and he had a goofy smile on his face. "Tate… What is this?"

"This is a house. Our house."

Violet turned to look at the house again before turning back to Tate. "Our house… How? How did you do this?"

"Well, I've been saving up for a while, and I finally had enough money to buy it."

Violet smiled. "It's perfect."

Tate smiled and leaned forward to kiss Violet's lips. Violet smiled into the kiss. "Can we go inside?" She asked excitedly. Tate reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, handing it to Violet. Violet took off down the walkway and up to the front door, opening it and stepping inside.

"Wow." That was the only word that could describe how beautiful the house was on the inside. Violet took off up the stairs, leaving Tate behind. The sound that her heels made when she walked echoed through all of the rooms as she moved through them. The upstairs had four bedrooms, perfect for a family. Once Violet had made her way through every room upstairs, she made her way through the rooms downstairs. She rounded the corner into the kitchen and gasped when she ran into a solid mass.

Tate wrapped his arms around her. "There's nothing to be afraid of in this house, Vi."

Violet nodded. "You're right. It's so perfect. I love it. Thank you." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Tate's. Tate moaned as Violet's fingers tugged at his blonde curls. His hands moved to her waist, lifting her up and setting her bottom down on the edge of the island in the kitchen. Violet giggled.

"Tate, what are you doing?" She whispered.

Tate's lips moved to her neck as his thumbs massaged circles into her hips bones. "Let's christen the new house. Hmm…" He moaned against her skin, making Violet shiver. Violet nodded and pulled Tate's lips back to hers, kissing him passionately. Her fingers tugged at his shirt until his hands helped her pull it off of him. She ran her hands up and down his smooth chest while her lips continued to push and pull against his.

Tate lifted Violet's bottom off the counter for a second so that he could push her dress up over her hips before pulling it over her head. He growled when he noticed that Violet was not wearing a bra.

"It didn't go with my outfit." Violet kidded as Tate's mouth moved over her chest, kissing every inch of soft skin. She moaned when his tongue started to caress one of her nipples. Her fingers worked on unbuttoning his jeans while his started sliding her underwear down her legs. She moved to kick her heels off, but Tate pulled his lips away from her chest and murmured.

"Leave the heels on." He spoke as he slipped her underwear past her feet. Violet smirked. "Kinky." She whispered, still trying to unbutton his jeans. Tate gently swatted her hands away, pulling a condom out of his pocket before slipping his jeans and boxers down his legs. Violet stared at the condom, suddenly speaking without thinking.

"I want to have a baby, Tate." She spoke as she grabbed the condom from his hand. Tate stopped moving and stared at her. His mouth gaped open.

"Wh… What?" He thought that he had imagined what she said.

Violet nodded her head. "A baby. Let's have a baby."

"What about your rules? Getting a house and getting married?" Tate was still in shock.

"We have a house. The perfect house for a family, and we are going to be together for always, right?" Tate nodded in reply to her question. "Well then we can get married whenever. I want to have a baby and have a family. Don't you want to watch a little girl or boy grow up in this house? This safe house?"

Tate processed Violet's words and smiled, nodding his head. "Let's have a baby!" He exclaimed before pressing his lips to Violet's. Violet smiled against Tate's lips, throwing the condom somewhere behind her before wrapping her arms around Tate's neck.

_**Is there a baby in Violate's future? Stay tuned to see what happens. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, as the lovely Taissa once said. **_


	22. Try Again

"Violet, calm the fuck down!" Charlee exclaimed as Violet paced back and forth around the bathroom. Both women jumped when the timer went off.

Violet stared at the white piece of plastic. "I can't look…" She whispered. Her entire body was shaking. She had a feeling of doubt, telling her that she wasn't pregnant because it didn't feel like last time.

Charlee leaned over and peered at the test results on the stick. She leaned back with a solemn look on her face. Violet's breath caught in her throat as tears filled her eyes. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised… I had a feeling." She whispered before sitting on the edge of the bathtub and hiding her face in her shaking hands.

Charlee moved to sit next to Violet and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "It's okay, Vio. I mean… This was only your first try. You can try again. I'm sure Tate will be more than willing." Charlee chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Violet lifted her head out of her hands, wiping her tears away. "You're right. I know. I know. I just… I want to be a mother so badly."

"I know, sweetheart, and you will when the time is right. Don't try to rush or force anything. It will happen when it's supposed to."

Violet nodded her head and laid it against Charlee's shoulder. "Thanks for always being there for me, Char."

"Always, babe. I can't wait to be Auntie Char." She smiled and hugged Violet tightly.

…

"Tate?" Violet spoke quietly as she walked into their bedroom later that night. Tate looked up from the book that he was reading. He was lying in the middle of their large bed and sat up straighter when he saw Violet.

"Hey, love." Tate smiled until he saw the look on Violet's face. "Is everything okay?"

Violet shook her head as she walked over to the bed and sat down by Tate's feet. Tate scooted close to her, wrapping an arm behind her back. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Tate… I… I'm not pregnant." Violet looked up into Tate's eyes. Her own were filled to the brim with tears. Tate sighed and felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"It's okay, Vi. It's just not the right time…" Tate mumbled. Violet shook her head and leaned her forehead against Tate's shoulder.

"Why? Why isn't it the right time?" She cried quietly. Tate "shh"ed her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap. His hand ran up and down her back as she cried.

"We have time, Violet. We are going to be parents one day. We just have to be patient. It'll happen. I love you." Tate whispered.

Violet leaned back so that she could see Tate's face. "We just have to try again." She murmured before she pushed her lips against Tate's, trying to push him back against the bed. Her hands moved to the button on his jeans.

Tate pulled her hands away and moved his mouth from hers. "Vi. Violet. Stop."

Violet pulled back. "What? Why?" She pulled away from him and moved off the bed. "I thought you wanted this!" She cried.

Tate was taken aback by Violet's explosive attitude. He stood up next to her. "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" She yelled at him.

Tate held his hands up in surrender. "Would you just listen to me, please?" He kept his voice at a calm level.

Violet shook her head. "This is fucking ridiculous." She held her hands up and moved to take her ring off.

Tate growled and grabbed her hands. "Don't you dare try to take that ring off." He was angry now. "What's wrong with you?"

Violet tried to yank her hands from Tate's, but his grip was too strong. "You don't even remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"Today…" Violet cried. "Today is the same day that our baby girl died."

Tate's grip on her wrists went limp, and his heart skipped a few beats. "Violet…"

"How could you forget?"

"I didn't!" Tate yelled this time. "I just… I try not to think of such agonizing times."

Violet's bottom lip was quivering. "I wish I could forget…" Tate took her into his arms and held her. Violet's hands were gripping onto the front of Tate's shirt as his hands rested on the small of her back. They didn't move for a few long minutes.

"Is that why you want a baby so badly? To replace the one we lost?" Tate had been afraid to ask, but he had to find a way to help Violet.

Violet didn't answer for a minute. She looked up at Tate. "I just want us to be parents. I want to see a little boy or girl running around the house. Can we try again? Please…"

"How could I ever say no to you? Of course, Violet. Always." Tate leaned down and lightly kissed Violet's lips. He could feel her tears against her cheeks, and he wanted nothing more than to make her never want to cry again. He hated seeing her upset.

Violet pushed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Tate's neck. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip before nipping at it with her teeth. One of her hands travelled down his chest and stomach before cupping him through the front of his jeans.

Tate pulled his lips away from hers. "One condition, though. We don't rush this time or any other time. This is supposed to be something that we do because we are in love and can't stand to be apart. This can't be a job just to get pregnant. I don't want this to become a means to an end."

"I know, and I'm sorry for pushing. I'll take it slow. Promise. Just don't stop kissing me, okay?"

Tate smiled and lifted Violet into his arms. "Never." He murmured against her lips before connecting their lips again. Violet wrapped her legs around Tate's waist as he held her. Their tongues slowly moved against one another as Tate lowered them onto the bed. Violet moved up so that she was leaning against the pillows and Tate was resting between her legs.

"I love you so much." She whispered as her thumb ran along Tate's bottom lip. Tate smiled. "I love you, too."

His lips moved to Violet's neck, placing open mouthed kisses along her smooth skin.

"Tate…" Violet moaned out his name quietly, knowing how much he loved when she did that. Tate smiled against her skin before slowly moving his kisses lower.

_Sex cliffhanger! Ah! I wanted to update this tonight since I haven't in a while. Sorry, loves. I've been too busy with school, but I promise I'm always writing. I will finish this sexy scene tomorrow! Keep a look out. _

_P.S. The scene in the next update is going to be very sensual and descriptive. Kind of like classy smut. Okay? _


	23. Just Love

_**This chapter is a continuation of the last chapter. It is basically just a loving sex scene with a lot of fluff at the end. Just a little something to make everyone smile. Enjoy. I just want to send my love to everyone that reviews this story. You're the best. **_

Tate's lips lightly danced over Violet's neck as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt. His fingers sprawled across her stomach, feeling how smooth her skin was. He smiled against her neck as his hand moved around to her back, pulling her up a little so that she could pull her shirt off. Violet lay back down and looked up at Tate, biting her lip. Tate's head dipped towards the bottom of her stomach, and she gasped quietly when his tongue darted out and barely touched the skin below her belly button. His tongue circled her belly button before running up the middle of her stomach. Violet sucked in her stomach and jutted out her hips as Tate's tongue moved closer to her breasts.

Violet ran her hands along Tate's shoulder before tangling them in his hair. She moaned as his tongue dipped under the bottom edge of her bra. His lips kissed along the edge of the fabric as his hands moved around to her back again, unhooking the material and pulling it away from her. He leaned back to look at her lying under him.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered as the tips of his fingers ghosted over her breasts. Violet blushed and moved her head to the side. "You are, Violet. Everything about you is so perfect." Tate's fingers took both of her nipples and lightly pinched them. A quiet moaned escaped through Violet's lips. "I love how you react to me."

Violet's hands moved to the bottom of Tate's shirt and pulled it over his head before mirroring what he was doing. Her fingers started at the line of hair that led into his pants, moving up his stomach and over his chest. She circled his nipples with her fingers before lightly pinching them. Tate groaned and Violet smiled.

"I like the way you react to me, too." She whispered.

Tate chuckled. "Fair's fair." He joked before lowering his lips back to Violet's skin. His lips kissed along the underside of one of her breasts before moving to circle around her nipple. His tongue flicked over the harden nub, making Violet moan. He moved to pay the same attention to the other breast.

Violet had her eyes closed and hands resting against Tate's back as his lips sent sparks through her body. Her smile widened as his lips moved down her stomach, kissing around the edge of her shorts. She bent her head and watched as he pulled her shorts and underwear down her legs. He looked up at her and smiled as he situated himself between her legs again.

"Tate" Violet whimpered as his lips teased her, moving up her thigh and over her hip bone.

"Patience, Vi." Tate murmured against her hip bone.

Violet shook her head. "I don't think I can…"

Tate looked up at her. "You can't what?"

Violet blushed a deep red. "I don't think I can wait that long. I need you, Tate."

"Violet…" Tate whispered.

"Tate, I just…" Violet started to speak but was cut short by Tate's lips against hers. She moaned into the kiss. Tate hands moved to unbuttoned his jeans and push them off along with his boxers. Violet smiled into the kiss, delighted that she was getting her way.

Tate slowly slid inside of Violet, groaning against her shoulder as she stretched around him. "Violet…" He moaned her name.

Violet was biting her lip to keep from crying out as Tate completely filled her. There was no other feeling in the world that could compare to how she felt when he was inside of her. It was pure ecstasy. Her nails ran down his back gently, just enough to leave faint red marks. Tate rolled his hips, hitting Violet's bundle of nerves. This time she couldn't hold back the noise that pushed through her lips.

The rhythm between their bodies was slow and sensual. Both of them were enjoying looking into each other's eyes as they moved together.

"I love you." Tate smiled and kissed Violet's forehead.

"I love you, too." Violet whispered as she ran her finger tips along his jaw. Tate moved his head and kissed Violet's fingers.

Violet could feel her release slowly building in the pit of her stomach, and she wrapped her legs around Tate's waist, pulling him closer to her. "Faster…" She moaned, and Tate was happy to oblige.

Tate was supporting himself on one arm, and his other was caressing Violet's skin. He could feel the cool sweat that was starting to cover her skin as they both moved closer to their climaxes. He looked up at her face, watching as her mouth moved but no words were coming out. He hit her sweet spot, and her lips moved into an O shape as her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders. Just watching her reactions was bringing him to the brink of his release.

"I'm so close, Vi." Tate mumbled against her shoulder, and she nodded her head in agreement. A few more thrusts took Violet over the edge.

"Tate!" Violet cried out as her release overtook her body.

"Violet." Tate groaned her name as his release was brought on by hers.

Violet wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down on top of her. Their sweaty bodies felt sticky against each other, but neither of them cared. They could only feel the intense pleasure coursing through their bodies.

"Mmm…" Violet moaned as she ran her fingers through Tate's curls.

"That was amazing." Tate murmured, and Violet nodded.

They lay like that until both of them came down from their highs. Tate rolled over to her side and pulled her close. Violet rested her head on his chest, lost in her own thoughts. Tate played with the ends of her hair.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked when he noticed that her gaze looked lost.

"Do you remember how we got pregnant the first time?"

Tate tilted his head to the side, looking confused.

Violet looked up at him. "We were in the pool." She recalled the day with almost perfect remembrance. "You were teaching me how to swim, and then we got a little carried away."

Tate remembered that day, and he smirked at the memories of them against the side of the pool. "A little?" He teased. Violet laughed and shook her head.

"I love your laugh." Tate whispered, making Violet blush. "Do you think we'll make good parents?"

"Are you having doubts?" Violet asked concerned.

Tate shook his head frantically. "No, no! I was just wondering out loud. I mean we both came from not so great families."

"We're not our parents. We lived through their awful parenting, and now we know exactly what not to do. And we know about other things, too."

"Like what?"

"Like if our children are going through a rough time and turn to self harm or drugs, we know how to deal with those situations because we lived through them."

Tate nodded and smiled. "You're right. You always saved me when we were younger. Every time I needed you, you were there."

Violet smiled and felt a tear fall down her cheek. "You saved me, too. So many times. I didn't even realized it sometimes, but you always saved me. You never gave up on me, even though I left. I never could thank you enough for coming back into my life."

"You're my soul mate, Violet. My other half. My entire world. There was never anyone but you." Tate pulled Violet lips to his and slowly kissed her with so much passion. The kiss spoke volumes. All of their love intertwined with their lips.

Violet moved so that she was on top of Tate, sitting against his hips. Her hips moved slowly against his.

Tate raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

Violet nodded. "And again and again and again." Tate chuckled and wrapped his arms around Violet.


	24. Late Again

_**Just an age reminder – Tate: 24 Violet: 23 Year: 2001**_

_**This chapter goes through many different scenes, skipping around and such. Thanks to everyone that is still invested in this story. Your reviews are my favorite things. **_

Tate watched as Violet walked out of the bathroom with a smile on her face, wearing only underwear and his flannel button up shirt. He smiled back at her from where he was lying on the bed amidst a pile of messy sheets.

"Why are you all smiles, love?" He asked.

Violet moved onto the bed, moving to Tate's side. She rested her arms on his chest, leaning her chin against her hands. "Well… I'm late."

Tate tilted his head to one side. "Late?" He asked confused. Violet hesitated for a second, waiting for the realization to cross Tate's face. "Oh… Late. Wait. Late, late?"

Violet giggled. "Late, late. Like pregnant late."

Tate sat up, holding Violet in his arms. "Really?" He smiled brightly. Violet nodded, threading her fingers through his blonde curls.

"I think. We need to make sure before we get too excited."

"Yea. Let's make a doctor's appointment as soon as possible."

"I made one yesterday for today."

"Well then, we need to get ready!" Tate moved to stand, holding Violet tightly in his arms and picking her up. Violet wrapped her arms around Tate's neck. "Shower?" Tate asked, and Violet nodded, squealing and kicking her feet playfully as Tate carried her to the bathroom.

…

Violet was holding onto one of Tate's hands tightly as they both waited for the doctor to return. They had been sitting in one of the rooms for almost 20 minutes, and both of them were shaking with anticipation. Violet jumped slightly as the door opened. Tate squeezed her hand for comfort.

"Well I have good news and bad news." The doctor spoke as he closed to door behind him.

Violet felt her heart fall into her stomach. "Good and bad?"

The doctor nodded. "It's nothing to worry too much about, but your medical charts show some damage after you first miscarriage."

Violet felt tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. "What do you mean?"

The doctor looked over his papers while replying. "First, congratulations because you are in fact pregnant." Tate leaned his head against Violet's, wrapping an arm around her waist, smiling. Violet smiled slightly but was still worried. "Now for the bad news. You do have some scarring from the emergency surgery with your first miscarriage. Your uterus is also more fragile now. This just means that you will have to take it easy."

Violet nodded. "Okay."

"You need to stay off your feet as much as possible. You need to make sure that you are eating nutritious food and drinking fluids throughout the day. Take the vitamins that I prescribe to you. You will also have more doctor appointments than normal so that we can keep an eye on the development of the baby."

Violet looked up at Tate, and he smiled reassuringly at her before replying to the doctor. "I will make sure that she does everything on the list. I can take care of her."

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Good, good. You have a good man, Violet."

"Thank you. I do." She smiled.

The doctor checked his papers again. "One more thing before you can go… Now I'm not going to tell you that you can not have sex for nine months. That would just be cruel, but I must tell you that there are going to be restrictions."

"Restrictions?" Tate questioned.

"Yes. Violet must always be lying down, and you, Tate, must be very gentle with her. She is in a fragile state, and we don't want anything to stress the baby."

Violet blushed as Tate nodded and agreed with the doctor. "Thank you. We will make sure to keep it on the slow side." Tate shook the doctor's hand as Violet blushed a deeper red and shook her head.

…

Charlee and Gray were sitting on the steps of the front porch of their house, watching as Tate's car pulled into their driveway.

"Hey!" Tate called out to his friends as he got out of the car and walked over to the passenger side, opening the door for Violet. He leaned into the car and took Violet into his arms. He kicked the door closed before carrying Violet up the walkway to the porch.

Charlee laugh. "Why are you carrying her?"

"I told him he was being too overprotective! The doctor said I could walk a little bit every day." Violet joked.

"The doctor?" Gray asked.

Tate nodded. "We have some news for both of you."

…

"You're going to have a baby!" Charlee cheered and wrapped her arms tightly around Violet.

"Careful." Tate warned. Violet looked over Charlee's shoulder and winked at Tate, mouthing "It's okay."

After Charlee let go of Violet, both women sat down on the couch. "We also want to ask both of you something." Violet smiled. "We know none of us are religious by any means, but Tate and I want to know if you two would want to be our baby's God parents."

Charlee and Gray smiled brightly. "Of course!" Charlee exclaimed.

…

"Mmm… You spoil me." Violet moaned as Tate's fingers massaged circles into her shoulders. Tate's lips ghosted over the back of her neck.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too, and I love this." Violet fingers moved through the warm bath water that they were relaxing in. Tate's back was resting against the end of the bathtub, and Violet was leaning back against him. Being in a warm bath with Tate made her think of when she was pregnant the first time. They had taken a bath together then, too, but it was different. There was a sense of fear of the unknown then. Both of them had some doubt on whether they could be teen parents, but all of that doubt was gone now.

Tate and Violet were more than ready to be parents. They had a home, stable jobs, and had finally grown up.

"We're really doing this…" Violet whispered as she threaded her fingers through Tate's.

"Mmhm." Tate murmured.

_**Awwwwe. A Violate baby is on the way! I am in the midst of trying to find the perfect name. Please send me your favorite name for a boy and a girl. Thanks, loves! **_


	25. Nathan

**5 Months into Pregnancy**

"Well…" The doctor moved the plastic handle over Violet's expanded stomach. Violet and Tate's eyes were glued to the monitor, trying to see the baby's image on the screen. "Let's see here… There! Do you see that?" The doctor pointed to a white shadowy figure. "That right there means that you are going to be blessed with a baby boy."

Violet gasped and smiled brightly up at Tate. "I told you." She whispered and winked. She had been telling Tate for the past few months that it was going to be a boy. She just had a feeling. Tate had thought that it was going to be a girl. He would never admit that he was hoping for a girl because Violet was so excited for a boy. He was still excited that the baby was a boy, but there was a part of him that feared that the boy would take after him too much.

Tate smiled down at Violet, kissing her lips gently. "You are always right, Vi."

…

Charlee bounded into Tate and Violet's living room as soon as her and Gray got to the house. "So…" She said in a sing song voice. "Tell us the news!" Her and Gray had been waiting all day to hear what the sex of the baby was.

Violet smiled from where she was reclined on the couch. She looked over at Tate, and he nodded to tell her that she could say it. "It's a boy!" Violet said excitedly.

Charlee gasped and clapped. "A boy! I knew it!"

"Congrats you two." Gray smiled and clapped Tate on the back.

"The name! What's the name?" Charlee asked.

"Nathan." Tate smiled. "His name is going to be Nathan."

"I love it!" Gray and Charlee said at the same time.

…

"Hey, Char?" Violet tried to grab her friend's attention after the two men went into the kitchen to find snacks to eat. The boys were always hungry.

"Yeah, kiddo?" Charlee sat down on the couch next to Violet.

"Can I ask for some personal advice?"

Charlee rolled her eyes. "You know nothing is too personal for me, Vio."

Violet took a deep breath. "Okay, well you know how Tate has been super overprotective?" Charlee nodded. "I mean I love that he only wants to keep Nathan and I safe, but I think he may be going a little too far."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess… Okay, I'm just going to say it. We haven't had sex in months! I'm losing my mind."

Charlee tried to hide her laugh behind her palm. Violet's face was priceless.

"Don't laugh!" Violet whined, swatting her hand at Charlee but not being able to reach her. "I'm being serious. He will barely touch me. It's like I'm a porcelain doll."

"Well then you need to take control! I'm sure that he won't be able to resist you if you don't give him a chance to say no."

"How do I do that?"

"I have some ideas." Charlee smiled mischievously.

…

**One Week Later**

Tate walked through the front door after spending a few hours at the music studio that he managed. He threw his jacket across the back of the couch. He was surprised that Violet wasn't in the living room. She normally spent her time in there while he was at work. He made his way through the house, getting worried when Violet was nowhere to be found. He was standing in the kitchen when he heard the faint sound of singing coming from the backyard.

Tate slowly opened the back door, finding Violet sitting on a lounge chair. Her blonde hair was shining in the sunlight. She was humming songs as her hands rested on her big belly. Tate smiled at the sight of Violet in a small summer dress, wiggling her toes in the sunlight as she sang. He took a moment to commit the sight to memory so that he could always remember how peaceful she looked.

"Hi." He whispered as he walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Hi." Violet leaned her head back and smiled up at Tate.

"What are you doing, love?"

Violet shrugged. "I just wanted to be outside in the fresh air for a bit."

"And you walked out here?" Tate asked as he moved to sit near Violet's legs on the lounge chair. Violet could hear to worry in his voice.

"Tate…" Violet shook her head. "It's a short walk from the living room to here. Please don't freak out."

"I don't freak out, Violet! I just want you and Nathan to be safe and healthy!"

Violet took Tate's hand in hers. "Baby, it's okay. I'm fine. Nathan is fine." Violet placed Tate's hand on her belly, and as soon as his palm rested against her stomach, Nathan kicked against her skin. Violet and Tate gasped at the same time. "Nathan likes being outside and he loves when you are close by."

Tate smiled, instantly forgetting about being upset with Violet. He rubbed his hand over her stomach laughing as Nathan would kick against where ever his hand moved. "That's the craziest thing." He said mesmerized.

"He's going to be as strong as his daddy."

Tate looked up at Violet and shook his head. "No, he's going to be as strong as his mommy. You're so much strong than me, Vi."

"Agree to disagree, but we can agree that he will always have two strong parents to keep him safe."

"Always." Tate leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on Violet lips before pulling away. Violet tried to hide the frown that creased along her smile as Tate pulled away. She had been thinking about what Charlee had told her, and she was planning on cornering Tate later.

…

It was in the middle of the night when Violet decided to put her plan into motion. Tate was lying beside her in their bed with his back towards her. She sat up and turned towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. She pushed his shoulder down so that he was lying on his back.

"Tate." Violet whispered as she ran her fingers along his collarbone.

Tate's eyes popped open, and he sat up quickly. "Violet? What's wrong? Are you okay?" His hands were running over her body.

Violet laughed, catching Tate's hands in hers. "Tate, I'm fine! I'm fine."

Tate looked at her with a confused expression. "Then why are you awake? Are you hungry? I'll go get you something!" Tate threw the bed sheets off of his lap before jumping out of bed.

"Tate! Stop. I'm not hungry."

Tate turned around when he was almost to the bedroom door. "I'm confused." His words held more sleep in them then when he was panicked when he first woke up. He ran a hand over his face, yawning into his palm.

"Tate, come back to bed." Violet tried to sound seductive.

"What do you want, Violet? I'll get you anything."

"What I want is you." Violet's cheeks blushed.

Tate arched an eyebrow before he realized what Violet was saying. He shook his head. "No, Vi. I can't."

Violet huffed, getting frustrated. "Yes, you can."

"No. I don't want to hurt you or the baby."

"Didn't you listen to the doctor? He said that if we were gentle then everything would be fine."

"Vi…" Tate continued to shake his head.

"Tate Langdon!" Violet's voice rose in volume. "If you don't get into this bed and make love to me right now then I swear I'll get out of this bed and walk all of the way to Charlee's house!"

His eyes grew wide with the thought of Violet being on her feet for so long. It was an ultimatum that he couldn't refuse if he wanted Violet to be safe and healthy. Tate took a deep breath and moved to sit near Violet's feet at the end of the bed. Violet could see the look of desperation in his eyes, but it wasn't the kind of desperation that she craved. He looked like he had just found out that he had lost a loved one.

Violet felt her heart sink. "Don't you want me anymore?" Her voice squeaked halfway through her words because her eyes were filling with tears.

"Of course I do!" Tate leaned forward and brushed a few tears off of Violet's cheeks. "Baby, please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm a dick."

"It's just that you've barely touched me since we've found out that I'm pregnant. I understand that you don't want to hurt me or the baby, but the doctor said it was fine. I don't know why you don't want to because I want you so badly. I need you."

Tate pulled Violet into his arms, holding her as best he could as her belly created space between them. Violet buried her face into the crook of his neck. His hands ran in soothing circles over her back. "Shh…" He whispered. "I do want you, Violet. I always do. I didn't make a move on you because I didn't want to pressure you if you didn't want to. I'm sorry. I know I've been too overprotective."

Violet leaned back and looked into Tate's eyes. "I love that you're overprotective. You're going to be a great dad. I just need you to realize that I'm going to be careful because I want Nathan to be safe too. I would never do anything to jeopardize his future."

"I know, I know. I love you." Tate whispered.

Violet smiled and took Tate's face in her hands. "I love you, too." Tate smiled and leaned in closer, closing the space between their lips.

…

"Promise me that we will never go that long with making love again." Violet let out a deep breath and a short laugh.

Tate propped his head up on his hand, looking down at Violet. "Promise. Promise, promise." He smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss on Violet's red lips.

Violet ran her fingers through Tate's curls, smiling up at him. "Thank you." She whispered.

Tate chuckled, shaking his head. "No, thank you for breaking me out of my crazy overprotective shell. We needed this."

"We did. I've never been happier, Tate. I swear. Everything in our lives right now… It's perfect."

Tate's smile creased dimples into his cheeks. "I couldn't agree more. Nathan is going to be one lucky kid." Tate chuckled, pulling Violet into his arms.

_**Author's note: 1. I want to thank Alice (Evansboner) for giving me one of the ideas used in this chapter. : ) 2. I hope you enjoyed this happy and fluffy chapter. 3. I will apologize now for the next chapter… O_O**_


	26. Losing Everything

_**Hi! It's been a while since I've updated, and I can't apologize enough. I had to take a break from writing for a bit, but I really wanted to update this story for all of the amazing people that read it. I hope this chapter is okay. **_

_**Just an age reminder – Tate: 24 Violet: 23 Year: 2001**_

**9 months into the pregnancy **

Sitting outside on a lounge chair in the backyard had become a daily occurrence for Violet. Once her belly had gotten so big that she could barely walk, Tate had to carry her outside, but he never complained. He would sit with her occasionally but knew that she also liked her alone time to soak up the sun and think.

She was almost to her ninth month of being pregnant, and everything seemed to be going well other than the fact that she was no longer allowed to walk anywhere. Her body frame was too small to carry the weight of the baby so she was on strict bed rest until she delivered. That didn't mean, however, that she stayed in bed. Violet had always been stubborn, and she had begged Tate to get her a wheelchair so that she could still move around. He had eventually given in, never being able to say no to her.

Tate had been perfect for the past nine months. He stayed by Violet's side, helping with anything that she needed. He made sure she was eating all of the correct foods, getting enough rest, and always feeling well and happy. Violet couldn't be more thankful or blessed to have such an amazing man in her life. She had been his rock for so long, and now he was hers.

Currently, Violet was sitting in her lounge chair, reading a book out loud so that Nathan could hear her voice. He would kick the inside of her stomach every now again, and it made Violet feel like he was enjoying the story. She had been feeling under the weather all morning and was hoping that being outside would make her feel better. So far, she only felt worse.

All of her limbs ached as if she had been running a marathon recently, and she was having slight cramps. She figured that she was probably close to going into labor because her due date was only two weeks away. The doctor had told her a few days ago that she could go into labor at any minute because of her small size. The baby was more than ready to be born.

She hissed and clutched her belly as a severe pain spread deep inside of her. "Ah…" She groaned, doubling over. "Nathan, what are you doing?" It felt as if the baby was clawing at her insides. "Stop. Stop. Stop." She whispered frantically as the pain increased.

All of a sudden, she felt a wetness seep through her underwear and along her legs. She guessed that her water had just broken, and she reached down to feel if her dress had gotten wet. Her face drained of color when she pulled her hand back and saw that it was covered in blood.

Panic rose in her throat. "Tate!" She screamed. "Tate! Help!"

…

Tate had been standing in the kitchen when he heard Violet screaming his name. He dropped the cup in his hand, letting it shatter on the floor as he ran through the back door and outside. He saw Violet sitting in the lounge chair with tears running down her cheeks and blood covering her hands.

"Violet! What's wrong?" He was by her side in a matter of seconds.

"Tate, it hurts. It hurts." Violet cried.

Tate couldn't take his eyes off the blood on Violet's hands. "Why are you bleeding?" He asked frantically.

"I feel funny. My head…" Violet's words drifted off as her eyes started to close, and she started to fall to the side.

Tate wrapped his arms around her before she could fall off the chair. "Violet! Baby, please wake up." He was shaking his arms, trying to get Violet to open her eyes. "Come on, Vi. Don't do this to me. Please don't leave me." He tightened his grip around her, lifting her up and carrying her inside quickly. He laid her down on the couch before running to the phone and calling an ambulance.

…

Everything after that happened in a blur. The paramedics arrived in record time, placing Violet's limp body on a stretcher and into the ambulance in a matter of minutes. Tate held her hand tightly the entire ride to the hospital, quietly begging her to wake up. He wasn't listening to anything as he ran along side the stretcher as the doctors moved Violet quickly down the hallway.

A doctor moved in front of him, blocking his path as Violet was carried away from him. He struggled in the doctor's hold. "Let me go! I can't leave her!"

"Mr. Langdon, please calm down!" The doctor wouldn't budge. "We are doing everything we can to help her, but our main concern right now is the baby."

The baby. The baby… Tate had forgotten about his son until now. He had been so focused on Violet that he hadn't realized that Nathan could also be in danger. The doctor had to grab him as he fell to his knees, sobbing. Could he possibly lose the two most important people in his life in one day?

…

Silence surrounded Tate. He had been sitting in the waiting room for hours, and no one would tell him what was going on. He had called Charlee and Grey after an hour, and they were now sitting with him. Charlee had called Violet's parents, and they were flying in tomorrow. Now, it was a waiting game. Everything meaningful in Tate's life rested in the hands of the doctors.

He jumped when someone touched his shoulder lightly.

"I'm sorry to startle you, Mr. Langdon, but we have some news for you."

Tate stood up quickly, facing the doctor. "What's happening? Is Violet okay? Is the baby okay?"

The doctor smiled slightly. "Your son is perfectly healthy and is waiting for you in the nursery."

Tate felt relief wash through him for a split second until he realized that the doctor hadn't mentioned Violet. "And… And Violet?"

"Ms. Harmon lost a lot of blood. It was touch and go for a while as we worked on getting the baby out safely. We did everything that we could, but she fell into a coma."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that her body shut down from the blood loss. We are giving her blood transfusions now, and we hope that this will allow her to break out of the coma, but we can't be sure. She might not wake up, Mr. Langdon."

The words danced around Tate's head. She might not wake up… But she had to. She couldn't leave him. She couldn't…

"I…" Tate couldn't find the words to say. Thankfully, Charlee moved up by his side and spoke for him.

"Thank you, doctor. Can Tate see her?"

"He is more than welcome to stay with her now, but I would recommend that he meet his son first."

Charlee nodded. "Yes, I agree. Thank you again." The doctor nodded before walking off, and Charlee turned to face Tate. "It's going to be okay. Violet is strong and stubborn. She'll pull through this."

Tate wanted to believe that. "She is strong. Stronger than me… I need her. I can't do this alone."

"No matter what, you won't be alone. Ever." Charlee smiled at Tate. "You'll always have Grey and me. And now you have a son."

"Nathan…" Tate whispered. "I want to go see him."

Charlee nodded. "Come on."

…

"He's perfect." Tate said mesmerized as he looked at the baby in his arms. He was so small. "Hi, Nathan. I'm your dad." Nathan's eyes were staring up at Tate, and one of his tiny hands was resting on one of Tate's fingers. "You're so little." Tate whispered. Nathan blinked up at him. He had the dark blue eyes that would eventually turn into a beautiful dark brown as he grew older. The sprinkling of light blonde hair on his head was the contrast of his dark eyes.

Holding Nathan in his arms for the first time would become a memory that Tate would never forget. It was a shining hope in such a dark time. He only wished that Violet was by his side to cherish this moment with him.

"Your mommy is going to be so happy to meet you." He swayed back and forth a bit, rocking Nathan gently. "You have the best mommy in the world. She loves you so much."

Tate held Nathan in his arms for as long as he could before the nurse told him that the nursery was closing. She reassured him that he could come back in the morning and would hopefully be able to take Nathan home. Tate nodded, wondering how he was supposed to take care of his son without Violet.

Violet… He had to go see her. That was the next place he went. When he walked into her hospital room, his heart dropped. She looked so small in the large bed. The sight sent memories flooding into his mind from the first time he had seen Violet in the hospital. At least this time she wasn't as broken as before. She was just stuck in sleep.

He moved to the side of the bed, sitting in a chair and taking one of Violet's hands into his. "Hi, baby…" He whispered.

He didn't say anything for the rest of the night because he honestly couldn't think of what to say. Everything seemed like a dream to him, and he was waiting to wake up.


End file.
